Key to Her Heart HD Remix
by The Blue Time Ranger
Summary: When a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, three teenagers must journey through many worlds to restore the balance of the universe and put a stop to the encroaching darkness. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?
1. And So the Adventure Begins

When I opened my eyes, I had no idea where I was.

Most of my surroundings where nothing but shrouds of blackness, though I could see a faint white tint, as if light was shining down from the heavens themselves to illuminate the darkness that threatened to consume me.

I looked down, and I saw that I was standing on a stained-glass window-like platform. Embedded on the mural that decorated this floor was a girl about my age, with bright red hair and brown eyes.

 _So much to do, so little time to do it._

Wait, who said that? I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one here.

 _Take your time and don't be afraid. The door will not open yet. Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

Still not sure what was going on, I figured I'd humor whoever this voice belonged to, and took a few steps forward. Once I did that, a stone pillar rose up through the platform, not wrecking it for some reason. Hey, I'm most likely dreaming, so it's justified, I guess.

 _Untold power sleeps deep within yourself._

A large, red shield appeared on the pedestal.

 _If you allow it to take form..._

Another pedestal rose to my left, this one holding a long, blue staff.

 _...it will give you strength._

A third pedestal rose, this one holding a very sharp-looking sword.

 _Choose well._

Okay, now I was starting to get confused. After a few seconds of thought, I walked up to the sword to see if I would get any more clues.

 _The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction._

That done, I walked over to study the staff.

 _The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin._

Finally, I took a look at the shield.

 _The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all._

All right, now that _that's_ over with, which one do I choose?

I've always seen myself as a protector to my friends, so I think I'll pick the shield.

My mind made up, I walked up to the first pedestal and took the shield into my hands.

 _The power of the guardian. Is this the power you seek?_

Yeah, it is.

Suddenly, the shield disappeared from my grip in a bright flash. Did I do something wrong?

 _Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?_

I thought about it, eventually coming to the conclusion that I wasn't really a magic guy, despite my upbringing. I'm very open-minded, you see, and I do believe that magic exists in this world (in fact, I've seen magic first-hand many times), but it's not something I'm good with myself.

I walked up and touched the staff.

 _The power of the mystic. You give up this power?_

I nodded, and the staff disappeared from my hand.

 _You've chosen the power of the guardian. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?_

Yeah, I think so.

Just then, the pillars sunk back into the platform, and the shield reappeared, much larger and strapped to my right arm.

 _You've attained the power to fight._

Okay, how do I use a _shield_ to fight?

Deciding to try it out, I swung horizontally, and the shield cut a wide swath through the air. Hey, we're on to something here!

 _All right, you've got it! You learn fast. Use this power to protect yourself and others._

I was so absorbed in trying out some combos with this unusual weapon that I almost didn't notice the shadow creeping up on me.

 _There will be times when you must fight. Keep your light burning strong._

The shadow thing leapt at me, but I countered with an overhand swing that smashed the shadow into the floor, where it dissolved into little dark tendrils that quickly vanished.

Once the shadow had vanished, I noticed a door had appeared behind me.

Well, all in who's going in, I suppose.

I walked up to the door and pulled it open, noticing that it was a lot heavier that it appeared. Radiant light shined from the door until I couldn't see anything.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **Author's Note:** Another remastered story, huh? I seem to like looking back at old stories and thinking that I can do better with them now. Yeah, for those of you who remember the original Key to Her Heart from my old account... yeah, I'm not exactly proud of it, so we're starting over, basically. Starting from scratch. This story is basically going to be based mostly on the original Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (thank you, 1.5 HD ReMIX!) but with elements from other Kingdom Hearts games showing up every now and then.

 **Timeline Placement:** This time, we're going by comic time (I used the cartoon 'verse in the old stories). This story takes place after issue 26, when the girls finished dealing with Will's a-hole father, but before issue 27, when the Ari of Arkhanta problems began. (I haven't read past issue 26, sadly, because that's where the books ended in America.)

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 1: And So the Adventure Begins

 **("Dearly Beloved ~re:Chain of Memories ver.~" by Yoko Shimomura plays)**

 _When I woke up that morning, stiff as a board from sleeping on my side yet again (when will I ever learn?), I had no clue that the life I knew was about to be turned upside down._

Fourteen-year-old Nick Kelly sat up in his bed, gazing out at the vistas of the city of Heatherfield. Nick had short brown hair and matching eyes, was very adventurous, and tended to be extremely impatient.

 _Yeah, I'm just your average kid in a seemingly-average world. Or so I thought until about a year ago._

Nick searched through his belongings, evidently trying to find something that should have been there the previous night. After a few seconds, Nick huffed, knowing just who the culprit was.

"Marie, did you take my MP3 player again?!" Nick shouted.

 _I met a group of friends at Sheffield High, and apparently, they're a group of super-powered teenagers who have been tasked with saving the world from... well, basically anything freaky._

"I had to do a report," Marie, Nick's younger-by-a-year adopted sister, stated as she jogged down the hallway. "You know I couldn't take care of it with dad snoring the way he was. I needed some peace and quiet, because that report was _nasty_."

"Just... ask next time, 'kay?" Nick quipped. He knew better than to say something that could possibly hurt Marie's feelings, since she had often confided in him that she was still unsure of her place in the Kelly family due to her being adopted (Nick's mother had been sterilized in an accident after Nick had been born).

 _I kinda figured they'd start saying things like "forget what you just saw here" or... I don't know, using some kinda Men in Black-type memory wiping thing. All I could do was promise to keep their secret. And apparently, that was good enough for them._

"Okay," Marie giggled. "I... I didn't mean to upset you, big brother..."

"Blame my sleepiness," Nick replied, affectionately rubbing Marie's shoulder. "I did just wake up, after all."

Suddenly, Nick's eyes jerked to the calendar that hung from his wall. "Wait, what's today?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think?" Marie answered.

"Oh, jeez, Cornelia's gonna let me have it if I'm late!" Nick exclaimed, rushing back into his room to grab everything he needed. "I promised her I wouldn't miss her photo shoot!"

 _Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin... my new friends call themselves "W.I.T.C.H.". Fitting name, right?_

Once Nick had taken his shower, he swiped his breakfast from the table and immediately ran out the front door, hoping he could make it to school on time. "I'm out, mom!"

 _And as I ran to school, hoping to not be late for Cornelia's photo shoot as I promised her, I remained oblivious to the danger that was approaching the city of Heatherfield... a disaster that would change my life forever..._

As Nick rounded the corner that would take him on a straight path to Sheffield Institute, someone stepped in front of him, causing him to bounce off and fall flat on his face.

"Hey, man, what's your damage?!" Nick exclaimed, just then noticing that the person he'd slammed headlong into was completely covered by a tattered-looking brown cloak.

"Um, buddy, you do realize that Halloween's a few months away?" Nick quipped.

"I've come to see the door to this world."

That statement left Nick confused. "Wha...?"

"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed."

"All right, whoever you are, you're freaking me out," Nick shot back, ready to give this ruffian a reason to shut up, only to look up and see that he had disappeared, and for some reason, everything around Nick had frozen completely, almost as if time had stopped for everybody but him.

"I'm not going crazy, am I?" Nick wondered.

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the hooded man proclaimed, reappearing behind Nick.

Nick immediately spun around and shifted into fighting stance.

"Will you stop popping up like that?!" Nick shouted.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand none of what this will mean."

"Well, do you wanna try and test that theory, Mr. Hood?!" Nick growled. "Because one more crack and I'm gonna knock you so flat on your ass that you're going to need a chiropractor!"

"Hmph. A meaningless effort," the hooded man proclaimed before disappearing. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

Nick looked around, seeing no trace of the hooded man. It was almost as if he'd never been there. Time seemed to start up again, leaving Nick very frazzled.

"Just what the heck was _that_ all about?" Nick wondered as he continued his mad dash to Sheffield.

 _If only I'd realized what that man's arrival was heralding... Looking back on it now, it was only the first sign of things to come..._

"Right on time, Nick," Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth proclaimed as Nick stepped into Sheffield Institute's main gate. "You seriously look like you ran a marathon just to get here."

"I promised I'd be here for your photo shoot, and I don't break my promises," Nick proclaimed. "But really, I think I might need new shoes. These ten-year-old things are just about on their last legs."

"Well, how about we go shoe-shopping after school?" Cornelia asked. "We just might be able to find something."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, if I'm not drained from that test later," Nick replied.

"Not looking forward to biology, huh?" Cornelia giggled.

"To say the least," Nick quipped, blushing a bit.

 _Yeah, I've... kinda got a pretty huge crush on Cornelia, if you couldn't tell. I'm keeping my distance for now, though, because... ugh, I really don't want to think about him. Let's just say Cornelia had a bad breakup and I want to knock that guy flat on his ass for ditching her. I mean, what jerk decides his duty is more important without even CONSIDERING his girlfriend's feelings?!_

Later on, Nick met up with another member of W.I.T.C.H., Will Vandom, Keeper of the Heart, to discuss the strange dream he'd had this morning.

"Really?" Will wondered. "Then again, is a dream like that any stranger than the nutballs we've faced off with?"

"Pretty much," Nick replied. "It's just... that voice was talking like I was destined for great things. I'm really just a bystander when it comes to the adventures _you've_ had."

Will smiled at Nick. "Hey, I'm sure you've had adventures of your own back in Fadden Hills, right?"

"Oh, don't I _know_ it," Nick laughed. "I don't know if I ever told you about this one time when Jeremy and I decided to climb the monkey bars into a freakin' _tree_..."

 _Yeah, I used to be from Fadden Hills, just like Will. Mom, dad, and I moved here to Heatherfield about a year and a half ago, right after we adopted Marie. Mom said it was because she wanted a change of pace, but now I'm not so sure._

By the time fourth period science class had started, Nick was beginning to feel sleepy. He figured it was because of the strange dream he'd had.

"You okay, Nick?" Irma Lair, Guardian of Water, asked upon noticing how tired Nick looked. "Were you up all night binge-watching Toonami again?"

"I actually watched it all the other night," Nick quipped. "I just had a weird dream and it kinda drained me."

"Guess we're lucky that today is a free study day so we can get anything we need to done, huh?" Irma giggled. "You wanna take a quick nap, go right ahead. I'll cover for ya."

"Thanks, Irma," Nick replied, resting his head on his shoulders and closing his eyes.

"Why do you let him do that, Irma?" Taranee Cook, Guardian of Fire, wondered, a sweatdrop appearing on her forehead.

"Hey, I sympathize with him," Irma replied. "I'm not the biggest fan of science, either. He needs a respite from all this big worded mumbo jumbo!"

"If you say so," Taranee sighed, returning to her homework.

When I opened my eyes, I definitely wasn't expecting to see the plaza in the center of the city. Did Irma lift me out of class again?

Just then, I looked down at my arm, having felt something that wasn't there before, and I saw the Dream Shield strapped to my arm.

 _Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself._

Oh, the voice. So, I'm back in the dream again? Now I'm worried, since dreams are always different, so if this one's a _continuation_ of the dream I had this morning...

...wait. What did that man say?

" _This world has been connected"_

But... what could that man have to do with any of this?

My thoughts were cut short as three women appeared in front of me, each sitting on one of the benches in the plaza.

Though I'd never met them personally before, I recognized them from what W.I.T.C.H. had told me about them. Cassidy, Halinor, and a young Yan Lin, three of the previous generation of the Guardians of the Veil.

Now you can count me _officially_ weirded out.

I decided to walk up to Halinor first. She looked up at me, and asked me a question.

"What is most important to you?"

I thought about that for a few seconds before giving my answer.

"My friends."

"Is friendship such a big deal?" Halinor asked before disappearing.

This voice is testing me, I realized. It wants to know what I'm like, to know if I'm worthy of something.

That in mind, I walked over to Yan Lin, who was waving her hands around. Guess she was a lot like Hay Lin in her youth.

"What do you want most out of life?" Yan Lin asked.

That one was easy for me to answer. "To be strong, so I can protect people."

Yan Lin giggled. "Strength to protect what matters, huh?"

And with that, Yan Lin vanished as well. Just one more, I guess.

Bracing myself, I walked up to Cassidy, my brain subconsciously me telling me how much of a cutie she was.

"What are you afraid of?" Cassidy asked.

"Losing something that's important to me," I replied, the answers coming easily to me now.

"Is losing something really so scary?" Cassidy wondered before disappearing.

 _You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of losing something important. Your journey will begin in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end._

Yep. It's never easy, that much I know. Sounds good to me.

 _The day that you will open the secret door is both far away and closer than you think._

A bright flash surrounded me, and then I was back in the dark void on another stained-glass platform, this one adorned with images of the five previous Guardians.

A horde of shadows surrounded me, intent on ripping me to pieces, but I simply stood my ground, readying my Dream Shield for a fight.

The shadows came at me from all directions, but I defended with the Dream Shield and struck back when I could, and surprisingly, I was able to fight quite well considering the size of this freakin' shield. Though, to be honest, the Dream Shield felt really light, almost as if it wasn't there at all. Again, I'm dreaming, so I figure there's an explanation.

Once all the shadows had been taken out, I looked around the void, wondering where I was supposed to go next.

 _But you must be careful. The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow will become._

I then heard a strange noise, and spun around to face what appeared to be myself, only all black and wielding a different weapon, a sword with a blade shaped like a demonic wing.

Okay, _that's_ different!

My shadow self charged for me, swinging its weapon in a wide arc. I literally had only a second to bring the Dream Shield up to keep myself from getting skewered.

Deciding to act rather than just flail about, I pushed my shadow away and struck out with the Dream Shield, knocking it flat on its back.

Kinda like what I'd prefer to do to...

...ack, don't think about the jerk right now, wait until _after_ you've beaten the shadow that wants you dead, Nick!

I waved my free hand in a "bring it" motion, and this seemed to bait my shadow into charging.

I waited until it was close enough before pouncing, grabbing it by the shoulders so I could flip over it and flop down on it, driving my Dream Shield into its head as I came down.

I took a few steps back to put distance between us, not really surprised when I saw my shadow get back up like that bonk to his head hadn't hurt in the slightest.

All right, guess it's time to step it up.

My shadow lunged for me, but I performed a quick spinning attack to keep it at bay. This didn't seem to faze it, though, as it just began to strike at the ground, creating shockwaves of darkness with every slash of its creepy weapon.

I decided to wait it out, just let the shadow have its temper tantrum and go in to attack when it's tuckered out.

Sure enough, after a few more shockwaves, my shadow stopped in its place, attempting to regain its strength.

That was my opportunity to move in for the kill, so I lashed out at my shadow with everything I could muster in this dream-like state, not giving it any chance to retaliate or break out.

After the beatdown was finished, I raised the Dream Shield to strike the final blow. Time seemed to run in slow motion as I struck with a mighty overhead chop, slicing the Dream Shield straight through my shadow and causing it to split in half.

That did the trick, as my shadow exploded into wisps of darkness soon after.

And that's the end of that. Or at least, I thought it was...

Before I could even grasp what was happening, darkness began to flood the platform, and when it reached me, it unfurled many dark tendrils that actually tried to drag me down into the murky blackness like some cliché horror movie monster would do to its victims.

 _But don't be afraid. And don't forget... your heart is the greatest weapon you can muster._

I attempted to reach out for something, but the darkness surrounding me continued to expend all of its effort to submerge me into it.

As darkness completely closed down my vision, the voice spoke one more time.

 _Remember... you are the one who will open the door._

"Hey, Nick, stop shaking so much! You wanna fall off?"

Nick shot to attention upon hearing Irma calling his name. He looked over at the Guardian of Water and saw her concerned expression.

"You okay?" Irma wondered. "You were shaking a bit there."

"Just another dream again," Nick replied, shaking his head a couple times to clear the cobwebs from his mind, though the last line of the strange voice stuck.

As Irma turned back to her homework, grumbling about science being stupid, Nick found himself unknowingly sketching a picture of the stained-glass platform he'd been on in the dream onto an empty piece of paper.

"You are the one who will open the door," Nick whispered to himself, echoing the mysterious voice's final line. "But... what door?"

* * *

"Your greatness, is everything okay? You look like you're lost in thought."

The Oracle looked up, his eyes perennially closed as always, towards Orube, a warrior from the planet Basiliade.

"Do you sense the vibrations of energy?" the Oracle asked. "Gaze towards the stars above us."

Wondering just what the Oracle was talking about, Orube looked up, noticing the brilliant sky of Candracar, only to see that something was wrong.

The stars that made up the sky were vast in amount, nearly infinite in their splendor. Yet, many of those stars were fading away, blinking a few times before disappearing completely.

"What?! The stars are fading?!" Orube exclaimed.

"It is as I thought," the Oracle proclaimed. "The Heartless have struck again."

"H-Heartless?" Orube gasped. "Aren't they the darkness that come from people's hearts?"

"Darkness given form and strength," the Oracle explained. "They know nothing but destruction, taking hearts from anyone they come across."

"So _they're_ the ones responsible for destroying my world," Orube growled. "They can't get us here, can they?"

"As long as the Veil stays, the Heartless cannot enter Candracar," the Oracle responded. "But that still leaves us a problem. If the stars are blinking out one by one, the Heartless must be stepping up their attacks. And this can only mean another disaster is about to befall our worlds."

"Should I call those girls?" Orube asked.

"Not yet," the Oracle responded. "We are not sure if they are ready for a catastrophe of this magnitude. Either way, there is one thing we must do before anything else."

"What is that, your greatness?" Orube wondered.

The Oracle stood, gazing to the disappearing vistas above him.

"We must find the 'key'."

Orube gasped in surprise when she heard that. "T-the... the 'key'? Your greatness, you do know what happened to the last person from here who wielded the 'key'?"

"I sense a new wielder is about to be chosen," the Oracle proclaimed. "One whose destiny has not been decided yet."

Before Orube could raise any further questions, a small pool of darkness appeared in front of her, and a small shadow creature rose up from it.

Orube backed away, unfurling her claws in response to the new enemy. "The... the Heartless?! I thought you said they couldn't enter Candracar as long as the Veil was still up!"

Orube slashed outwards, raking at the Shadow who had lunged at her and cutting it into trails of darkness...

...only to have three more pop up from the floor.

Before long, the entire area was flooded with Shadows, leaving Orube no room to escape.

As Orube slashed like wildfire at the Heartless, she knew that something truly terrible had happened for the Heartless to be able to invade Candracar, supposedly the safest place in the multiverse. Her question was, who or what had created enough of a tear in the veil to allow evil through?

Multiple Shadows converged on Orube, ready to pounce and steal her heart for themselves. But just as they lunged...

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!"

About fifteen points of light flared to life in the sky above Orube, and not a split-second after, each point of light dropped a wicked thunderbolt downwards. The wayward lightning strikes made short work of the Heartless that had lunged.

Orube turned to face her savior and saw a thirteen-year-old girl of Chinese descent, with long, wavy black hair tied into two ponytails and two odangos (apparently a Japanese term for hair bun). She was wearing a ceremonial kimono and was carrying a very strange, key-shaped weapon.

The handle of the weapon was dark blue and the guard encircled the handle like a white, squat teardrop where the top of the guard was a white heart. There were also two dark blue arches with a hole in the center of each, one on each side of the top of the guard. The shaft consisted of two separate blue poles that ended at the "teeth" that resembled half of a gear. A dark blue circle, surrounded by a light blue, then another dark blue circle around that which is the inside of the teeth piece, were attached to the shaft by another light blue arc. The outer side of the circles was a half circle with a point at the peak and two small spheres within the half circle, one by the peak and one in the center of the arc. The top of the shaft was a dark blue, six-pointed star within a light blue circle. Its token was a gold carabiner with a rusty chain attached and a green spellbook as the charm.

"Wha... you wield the 'key'?" Orube gasped.

"No time for games, Orube!" the girl shouted. "We need to mop up this infestation!"

The girl leapt at the swarm of Heartless, swinging wildly with Spellbinder and clearing through the flood quickly.

"Jeez, where is she?" the girl groaned. "She's late!"

"Oh, keep your shorts on, Maylin!" another voice resounded. "These stupid Heartless aren't making things any easier!"

Maylin Rae turned around before looking upwards and seeing her companion drop from the ceiling, her own weapon clutched tightly as she slammed it into the ground, creating a pink shockwave that decimated the rest of the Heartless. The new girl stood up, letting her wavy brown hair flip around as she opened her strawberry pink eyes. After a second, she dusted off her clothes, a simple pink t-shirt and jeans.

"Took you long enough, Haruka," Maylin quipped.

Haruka Rose smiled brightly, resting her own weapon on her shoulder. The weapon's handguard was designed to look like stained glass. The blade was made of a purple material with a rose design, resembling a rose in a purple glass bell, and the bloom of the rose served as the blade's teeth. The weapon's rainguard was designed to resemble the thorny leaves of a rose bush, and the keychain consisted of a slim chain, with a pink rose as its token.

"Well, it's not my fault that I got stuck with fighting all the BIG Heartless like that centaur one with a lance longer than the Kresnik," Haruka teased.

"Stop teasing me, you doof!" Maylin growled. "We need to focus on the big picture here, namely, _why the hell are there Heartless in Candracar?!_ "

Haruka thought for a few seconds, swinging Divine Rose around as she did so. "That must mean someone tore a big hole in the Veil. My question is, who?"

"There is no time for idle thought, my dears," the Oracle proclaimed. "I am glad you have arrived. A new wielder of the 'key' is about to be chosen."

"Aw, your majesty, you can just call it the keyblade, you know," Maylin giggled.

"What would you have us do?" Haruka wondered, snapping to attention.

"I want the two of you to go to a world called Traverse Town and find someone named Iona Hikawa. She will point you in the direction you need," the Oracle explained. "And if you should happen to find the chosen one, stay by his side. He will need all the support he can be given in the battle that is to come."

"Roger that!" Maylin proclaimed as the Oracle raised his hand and created a portal to Traverse Town.

"Let's go, Haruka," Maylin quipped. "I've got an itch to smack those Heartless down."

"Just like you, huh?" Haruka responded as she and Maylin walked into the portal.

Orube watched in confusion as the two left Candracar. "Your greatness, can we really entrust the future of the worlds to the ones who wield the 'key'? You know the legend says a wielder once wrought chaos and ruin upon us."

"But another says that its wielder brought great light to us," the Oracle replied. "Have faith, Orube. The new chosen one's story has not been written yet. We will see what he does with the power he is granted."

Orube sighed in resignation. "I just hope you're right."

* * *

Later that day, during a break in his art class, Nick decided to show Hay Lin the sketch he'd done of the area in his dream, hoping she could shed some light on the situation.

"Wow, that's pretty trippy, huh?" Hay Lin, Guardian of Air, noted after Nick had shown her the sketch. "What do you think it means?"

"That's actually what I was hoping you could help me with," Nick answered. "Because if I have three dreams, and they're all part of the same thing, it's gotta mean something."

And so, Nick and Hay Lin began to talk, Nick sharing what he'd experienced in the dream, most notably conversing with three of the previous Guardians, and Hay Lin giving her thoughts on what each particular sequence may have meant.

"From what I can tell, maybe this voice is trying to prepare you for something, since it's persuading you to make choices based on your personality and preferences. You said you chose the shield, but gave up the staff, right?" Hay Lin explained, sketching notes onto her notebook.

"Yeah, because I want to protect my friends, even though I don't have magic powers like you and the rest of W.I.T.C.H., and I gave up the staff because I don't actually have those kind of powers," Nick explained.

"And when the previous Guardians asked you those questions, the voice wanted to know more about you," Hay Lin continued. "I bet whoever that was wants to see if you're worthy of something."

"Worthy of _what_ , though? That's the question that's been bothering me," Nick stated.

Before Hay Lin could elaborate any further, a loud CRACK resounded, followed by a flash that lit up the art studio.

"Oh, fantastic," Nick groaned as a deluge of rain began to fall from the darkened skies.

"Wait a second," Hay Lin gasped. "It was bright and sunny just two minutes ago! How could the weather have changed so fast?!"

Nick looked up at the clock; just two minutes until school let out. "Get the others and let's meet up at the front gate. I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Sure enough, the sudden storm began to grow worse once school was over, with strong winds and frequent lightning flashes. Nick and the girls were already standing in the midst of the chaos, wondering why mother nature had decided to spaz out.

"This isn't good," Cornelia quipped. "Something here just feels... off. Like it's the end of the world or something..."

"And I can't stop this rain from drenching us!" Irma exclaimed, waving her hands around. "It's like my powers are all... not working!"

"That's gotta mean that something evil's at work," Will proclaimed. "Let's transform and check things out."

Will reached into her backpack to procure the Heart of Candracar before raising the glowing crystal into the air.

" _Guardians, unite!"_ Will shouted, causing a swirl of energy to surround the five Guardians of the Veil. Once it cleared, they were all in their Guardian outfits, unencumbered by mother nature's wrath.

"Let's get going," Will stated, and the group rushed out of the school grounds and into the city itself.

Along the way, W.I.T.C.H. began to encounter strange creatures that were attacking the panicking citizens of Heatherfield.

Though the girls were slightly confused, Nick and Hay Lin recognized the creatures almost immediately.

"Wait a minute, those things were in my dream!" Nick exclaimed, catching the girls' attention. "When I got my weapon, those things started popping up and attacking me!"

Hay Lin looked up to the sky. She knew about the creatures, since Nick had told her about his dreams. "You think your dream's connected to what's happening?"

Before Nick could answer that, a loud scream caught his attention. Nick spun around and saw Marie standing a few feet away, though she was hunched over, like she was exhausted.

"M-Marie, how'd you get here?!" Nick exclaimed, rushing over to his sister to make sure she was all right. "You need to go back home where you'll be safe! This is _not_ the right time to be searching for something!"

But when Marie looked up at him, Nick noticed that something was very wrong.

Marie's eyes, normally sparkling and full of life, were dull and lifeless, almost as if her spirit had been taken from her.

"Nick..." Marie called out in a very sleepy-sounding tone of voice.

Another lightning bolt cracked down from the sky and sent Marie flying towards Nick, who attempted to catch her...

...only for the world around Nick to freeze when Marie was close enough for Nick to catch.

Nick attempted to catch his sister, but the instant he touched her, she vanished into nothingness, like she hadn't even been there in the first place.

"W-what? Where'd she go?!" Nick exclaimed.

"INCOMING!" Irma shouted, pointing ahead at a much larger shadow creature that had just formed from the ground.

Nick put his arms up in a futile defense, knowing he didn't have the Dream Shield to protect him this time.

However, as the Neoshadow struck, a bright flash drove it off. When Nick dared to look, he saw a bright white light surrounding his right hand. The light eventually formed into a peculiar key-shaped weapon resembling a classic skeleton key.

"What the...?" Nick gasped, suddenly hearing the mysterious voice in his head again.

 _Keyblade... keyblade..._

Nick cast a curious glance at his weapon, then looked back at the Neoshadow. It was staying still, apparently afraid of the keyblade.

Nick saw this as his chance, rushing forward, and with all the dexterity and skill from his dream battle, performed a powerful overhead strike that sliced the Neoshadow in half before causing it to evaporate into specks of darkness.

" _Whoa..."_ Irma gasped.

"Hey, maybe that's what the voice guy was trying to prove you were worthy of!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"And I've got a feeling that this baby can do something about these shadow freaks," Nick quipped. "Let's get moving, girls!"

So W.I.T.C.H. continued to move through the storm-ravaged Heatherfield in hopes of finding some answers, and while more of the shadow creatures assailed them during their journey, Nick was able to mow them down with ease thanks to his new weapon.

After a while of futile searching, the group eventually found themselves in the plaza, which is where the events seemed to be centered around. What must have been hundreds upon hundreds of Shadows were marching out from the plaza.

And to the group, it was easy to see why. A gigantic creature, towering over the highest building in the city, was creating pools of darkness on the ground from which more Shadows would emerge.

"Hey, Gigantor!" Nick shouted, waving the Kingdom Key threateningly at the monster. "You've got some nerve coming here and messing with our city like you own it or something!"

Darkside looked down at W.I.T.C.H., studying them with its eyeless gaze.

"I'm only going to give you one chance to leave before I come up and tear you a new one," Nick proclaimed.

Darkside simply roared, rearing its arm back to swipe at W.I.T.C.H., only for Nick to swing out and parry the strike with Kingdom Key.

"That's what I thought," Nick growled, laying into Darkside's exposed arm with a few quick slashes until it dipped back.

Darkside clutched its palm, gathering energy into its hands before firing it in the form of multiple dark spheres, all of them aimed at Nick.

Will was quicker on the draw, waving her hand and unleashing multiple bolts of pink lightning that stopped the dark spheres cold.

"Hey, buddy, you mess with one of W.I.T.C.H., you mess with _all_ of W.I.T.C.H.!" Will shouted, throwing another pink lightning bolt straight into Darkside's face, causing it to stumble back and drop to its knees, giving Nick the perfect vantage point to charge and strike at Darkside's head a few times.

Once it got to its feet, Darkside simply shook off the pain and began to amble towards the group, every step creating pools of darkness on the ground for more Shadows to emerge.

"We'll mop up these tiny losers, Nick," Irma quipped, summoning a quick wave to send some of the Shadows flying. "You just focus on the big cheese!"

Nick flashed a thumbs up to Irma, then turned back to Darkside, who was rearing back to throw a punch.

Nick again parried the strike, but didn't expect Darkside to throw a punch with its other arm. Nick barely got Kingdom Key up in time to block the second strike.

"All right, so you're gonna play dirty now, huh?" Nick stated, waiting for Darkside to start moving again; he'd noticed that after every two or three attacks, Darkside just stood there for a few moments, as if it needed to rest.

After a couple seconds, Darkside decided to throw another punch, but this one Nick decided to jump backwards from, and this caused Darkside's arm to get stuck in the ground.

Sensing his opportunity, Nick hopped onto Darkside's hand and began to run along its arm to the creature's face, where Nick was free to lay into Darkside's face, ending with a jumping slash that knocked Darkside flat onto its back.

Nick did a few hops back so he could gain momentum, then rushed forward, ready to strike the decisive blow.

Cornelia, seeing Nick charging forward, decided to help out by slamming her hand to the rain-soaked ground and creating a pillar of earth for Nick to leap off of. Nick did so, hopping onto the pillar and jumping forward, landing on Darkside's face so he could send the Kingdom Key straight through the creature's forehead.

Darkside twitched for a few seconds before going limp and evaporating into little specks of darkness that eventually faded away.

"And dark boy is _down!_ " Irma exclaimed.

Before W.I.T.C.H. had a chance to celebrate their victory, however, a large tremor rocked the surrounding area. Nick looked up and saw that a gigantic sphere of darkness had popped up in place of the sun.

And it seemed to be pulling him into it.

Nick slammed the Kingdom Key into the ground to hopefully gain some traction as the wind continued to pull him towards the giant sphere, but with the ground as soaked as it was, the keyblade simply wouldn't stay in the ground, and the wind eventually pulled Nick into the air, where he could do naught but helplessly find himself sucked into the darkness, much like in his dream.

The darkness was closing down his vision; he could barely hear the panicked screams of his friends.

* * *

Traverse Town. A quiet village eternally drenched in dusk. A waystation of sorts for people who have lost their worlds to the Heartless.

Maylin was the first to step out of the portal into a back alleyway. "Well, here we are!" she proclaimed.

"Oh, no," Haruka gasped.

"What? What's the matter now?" Maylin groaned.

"Look!" Haruka shouted, pointing to the sky above them. "One of the stars is going out!"

Sure enough, one of the stars blinked a few times before vanishing completely.

"How many more worlds are these Heartless freaks going to destroy?" Haruka sighed.

"We don't have time to be wishy-washy right now, Haruka," Maylin responded. "We need to find this Iona chick and FAST."

"Where do you think she is, though?" Haruka asked, waving Divine Rose around a few times.

"That's the problem," Maylin groaned. "You'd think that with all the phenomenal cosmic power the Oracle has, he'd be able to tell us _exactly_ where this Iona girl is, but noooooooooo, he has to be all vague and stuff!"

"Maybe he's trying to use his power to keep the Heartless at bay," Haruka answered as she and Maylin walked out into the First District. "If Heartless got into Candracar, that means something happened to the Veil."

"I'd at least like a guide to go on!" Maylin exclaimed. Haruka knew that Maylin was never very patient.

"Well, when it comes to the Heartless, I don't like leaving _anything_ to chance," Haruka replied.

Far away from where Maylin and Haruka were talking, Nick finally managed to open his eyes.

"Ugh... what the hell just happened?" Nick wondered. "Did I... did I get sucked into the darkness again?"

Now that Nick was fully awake and aware of his surroundings, he definitely noticed that the sights surrounding him definitely didn't belong to Heatherfield.

"Wait a minute, this is... where did they go?!" Nick exclaimed.

Picking himself up, Nick ran out of the alleyway into the First District, surprised to see himself in another world.

"This is strange... I just hope the girls are all right..."

Deciding to take a look around in hopes of finding _something_ to go on, Nick began to walk around the district, talking to anyone he came across. Mostly, the conversations were the same, all having something to do with the fact that Traverse Town was a refuge for anyone who survived the destruction of their worlds.

After a while of the same story over and over, Nick figured he'd look around the other districts and see if there was anyone who could help him.

First, Nick decided to rest for a bit in the nearby Accessory Shop.

"Hey, how can I help..."

Nick looked over once he'd entered the Accessory Shop, noticing a spiky red-headed woman standing at the counter.

"Oh, it's just a kid," the woman proclaimed.

"Hey, I'm no kid," Nick growled. "My name's Nick, and don't you forget it!"

"Whoa, whoa, simmer down, I didn't mean to insult you or anything," the woman replied. "So, what's with the long face, Nick? Are you lost?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Nick sighed, balancing Kingdom Key on his shoulders.

"Well, how about you try looking around town?" the woman stated. "Maybe you'll find a clue or something."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Nick replied. "I just figured I'd rest up a bit first. It's been a hell of a day for me."

"Well, then, good luck with whatever it is you're doing," the woman stated. "By the way, my name's Kiva Andru. If you run into trouble, just come to me, okay?"

Nick nodded to Kiva as he stepped outside of the Accessory Shop.

"Okay, this is going to be a lot more stressful than I thought," Nick groaned.

 _Nick? Nick, can you hear me?_

Nick almost leapt into the air at the sound of the familiar voice. "Wait. Taranee, is that you?" Nick asked.

 _Yeah, it's me. Where are you?_

"Honestly have no idea," Nick answered. He had almost forgotten that Taranee possessed a degree of telepathy as one of her Guardian powers. "All I _do_ know is that it's some place called 'Traverse Town'. Where are you? Please tell me you're all right..."

 _Don't worry, Nick, we're all fine. Will managed to open a portal to Candracar before the city was consumed. Problem is, we can't get to you right now, since the Oracle's using all of his power to hold the Veil together. Those shadow things we fought came through a new tear in the Veil, and as long as the Oracle's keeping the Veil closed, we can't get there._

"I'm just glad you're all safe," Nick answered. "I'll try to get there just as soon as I can. Seems like this problem's not just limited to our world..."

When Nick felt Taranee's presence fade from his mind, Nick decided to head to the Second District.

* * *

A young girl with black hair and golden eyes can be seen lying unconscious on the outcropping of a stone mesa, outlooking the path to a grand castle in the distance.

"Ugh... what happened?" the girl asked, looking around and noticing that she definitely wasn't in Heatherfield anymore.

Little did she know that someone was watching her from afar, a gastly evil presence from within a sentient mirror...

* * *

"This is weird _beyond_ weird, if you want my opinion," Nick growled, swinging Kingdom Key to take out more of the shadow creatures who had attacked him in Heatherfield. "What exactly is going _on_ here?!"

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

 _What now?_ Nick thought as he whirled around to face the source of this voice, a girl about his age with waist-length purple hair and matching eyes.

"And they'll keep coming after you as long as you wield the keyblade," the girl proclaimed. "But why would it choose a kid like you?"

Nick steadied himself, realizing that a fight was probably about to erupt.

"Now let's see that keyblade."

Nick immediately brought Kingdom Key into a fighting stance.

"Hey, hey, I don't want to fight you," the girl stated. "My name's Iona Hikawa. I've heard legends about the keyblade, but I never thought it would choose someone like you."

Iona extended her hand. "Now just hand it over. I don't want a fight."

Nick stared at Iona for a few seconds. "You're serious," Nick growled. "This is the only link I have to finding out what happened to my world, and possibly the only way to fix it. And you want to take that away from me?!"

Nick lifted his arm and pointed Kingdom Key straight at Iona. "Well, if you think you can take my only hope away from me, you'd better be ready to get knocked flat on your ass. I'm not afraid to fight a girl."

Iona sighed heavily. "Fine, then."

Iona reached into her pocket and produced a strange, piano-like device.

" _Pretty Cure Shining Star Symphony!"_ Iona shouted, playing a few notes on the piano keys as shining purple energy wrapped around her body, forming a cocoon-like sphere of light. After a couple seconds, the cocoon shattered, revealing that Iona had transformed into a new outfit.

" _The star of hope that glitters in the night sky, Cure Fortune!"_

Nick readied himself.

"You wanna be stubborn? All right then, have it your way," Cure Fortune proclaimed.

Nick charged forward to attack, only for Cure Fortune to leap away, gathering energy in her hands.

" _Pretty Cure Starlight Ascension!"_ Cure Fortune shouted, throwing her hands towards Nick and shooting out a cluster of star-shaped energy bursts. Nick stood steady, batting away each star with the Kingdom Key and dodging the ones he couldn't deflect.

Nick made it a point to be in the same spot where Cure Fortune landed so he could deliver a powerful strike that sent her crashing into the wall of a nearby shop.

"Okay, so you're not as bad as I thought," Cure Fortune proclaimed. She picked herself up and rushed at Nick, lashing out with a series of kicks.

Nick dodged and blocked when he could, trying to find an opening in Cure Fortune's attack pattern. Just as Cure Fortune reared back for one final strike, Nick saw his chance and lashed out with a rising slash attack that sent Cure Fortune stumbling backwards.

"You're mine!" Nick shouted, charging forward.

"Guess I have no choice," Cure Fortune proclaimed, bringing out what appeared to be a card. _"Form Change, Anmitsu Komachi!"_

Nick stood his ground as Cure Fortune's outfit became a light purple Japanese kimono.

Cure Fortune raised her Fortune Tambourine as petals began to swirl around her. _"Sakura Blizzard Dance!"_

All of a sudden, Nick found himself caught in a tornado of petals that eventually threw him back into the wall of the Accessory Shop.

Yet Nick still stood, not intent on giving up.

"You just don't give up," Cure Fortune stated.

"Yeah, well, my friends always liked that about me," Nick quipped before shaking off the pain in his back and rushing back at Cure Fortune.

"Good to know," Cure Fortune teased before producing another card. _"Form Change, Pine Arabian!"_

Cure Fortune's outfit then became an Indian-style dancer's dress.

"You keep changing your clothes," Nick quipped. "You're not secretly a fashion model, are you?"

"Well, I get around, mostly," Cure Fortune replied before spreading her hands out. _"Oriental Dream!"_

Golden energy surrounded Nick, and he made it a point to jump away just in time as the light turned into a pillar of energy that shot into the sky.

"That could have been bad," Nick noted.

"You know, you're actually pretty strong for someone who just got chosen by the keyblade," Cure Fortune admitted.

"That's why I need its power to find out if there's a way to restore my world!" Nick shouted. "I've got friends and family waiting for me!"

Suddenly, Cure Fortune saw flashes of someone very dear to her. Sighing in defeat, Cure Fortune floated back to the ground and reverted to her normal self.

"I'd... I'd almost forgotten..." Iona sighed.

Nick looked in confusion at Iona.

"I... I lost friends and family to the Heartless, too," Iona admitted.

"Heartless?" Nick wondered. "You mean those shadowy things that've been harassing me nonstop since I got the keyblade?"

"Yes," Iona answered. "They're born from the darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them. If someone's heart is stolen from them, they will become a Heartless as well."

"So, why are they following me, then?" Nick asked.

"The Heartless are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts, and darkness rests within every heart," Iona explained. "They prey the worlds, searching for more hearts to increase their numbers."

"You sound like you've dealt with them before," Maylin noted.

"Because we have," Hime Shirayuki answered. Maylin and Haruka, during their search for Iona, had actually come across Iona's friends and fellow Pretty Cures, who seemed to know something about the current situation. This particular group were just outside the door separating the first and second districts. "Those jerks took something very important to us!"

"Calm down, Hime," Yuuko 'Yuyu' Omori stated, getting Hime to relax. "Okay, you two know how there are many other worlds besides your Candracar and this town, right?"

Maylin looked shocked at that simple response. "Wait, wait, how do you know about the other worlds?! They're supposed to be a secret!"

"Because they've never been connected until now," Yuuko answered. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."

"When they took our world, we had no choice but to flee," Megumi Aino continued. "Our first thought was to go to Hime's world, but that world had been taken by the Heartless, too. We're really lucky that the Embassy allows us to come here. We had to look for a way to bring the Blue Sky Kingdom back."

"We may have found our way, now that we know of the keyblade," Yuuko proclaimed.

Suddenly, the district door was slammed open. Maylin was the first to brandish her keyblade as a bunch of armored Heartless began to flood through the open gates.

"Ack, not these things again!" Haruka exclaimed, swinging Divine Rose down and crushing a few of the Soldiers easily.

"All right, it's vengeance time!" Hime exclaimed, bringing out a strange device as Yuuko and Megumi did the same.

" _Pretty Cure Rolling Mirror Change!"_ Megumi, Hime, and Yuuko shouted, being covered in bright cocoons of pink, blue, and yellow light, respectively. When the cocoons shattered, the three teenagers were in their Pretty Cure forms.

" _The big love spreading throughout the world, Cure Lovely!"_ Megumi shouted.

" _The blue wind dancing in the sky, Cure Princess!"_ Hime shouted.

" _The light of life flourishing on the earth, Cure Honey!"_ Yuuko shouted.

The three did their group pose afterwards. _"Infused with happiness, charged with glee, we are Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!"_

"Okay, plan time," Cure Princess proclaimed. "What do we do?!"

"I'll go find Iona," Cure Honey replied. "Hime, Megumi, you two keep the Heartless at bay."

"Roger!" Cure Lovely exclaimed.

"You two had better keep searching for that boy with the keyblade," Cure Honey stated to Maylin and Haruka. "He's probably in this city somewhere."

"Got it! Haruka, let's go!" Maylin proclaimed, rushing into the First District, leaving a very flustered Haruka to catch up.

"She never waits for me, does she?" Haruka groaned.

Cure Honey ran down the steps to the Accessory Shop, quickly noticing Iona talking to Nick.

"Iona! We've got trouble!" Cure Honey exclaimed.

"The Heartless?" Iona asked.

"A whole flood of them just invaded the Second District!" Cure Honey answered. "Megumi and Hime are holding them off!"

"Where'd those other two go? The ones who were looking for me?" Iona asked, bringing out her Fortune Piano and transforming back into Cure Fortune.

"They're trying to find the boy that was chosen by the keyblade," Cure Honey stated, only just now noticing that Nick was holding a keyblade. "Hey, you're the one those two girls have been looking for, aren't you?"

"What's going on?" Nick wondered, readying the Kingdom Key.

"The Heartless are here," Cure Honey explained. "You were right about them, Iona. They followed the keyblade right to us."

"No time to mope on that right now," Cure Fortune replied. "Come on, kid. Sounds like we're gonna need you."

"Just let me at those jerks," Nick growled.

"You sound just like Hime," Cure Honey giggled.

The three ran for the Second District, only to find it almost completely flooded by Shadows and Soldiers.

"Oh, this isn't good," Cure Fortune groaned.

"Dang it, these things are everywhere!" Cure Princess shouted, using her Princess Machine Gun to send a bunch of Soldiers flying. "We swat them away and they just keep coming back for more!"

"Let me have a go at it," Nick proclaimed, holding Kingdom Key aloft.

Cure Princess was the first to gasp when she saw Nick's weapon. _"The keyblade!"_ Cure Princess shouted.

Nick didn't need to be told twice, and hopped off of the banister so he could slash at a Soldier that had just leapt at Cure Lovely.

"Yeah, you freaks," Nick growled. "I've got a bone to pick with you."

Nick held the Kingdom Key to the sky, where it began to glow with a bright golden light. Just as the swarm of Heartless began to march forward, Nick swung hard, creating a bright wave of light energy that effortlessly vaporized the entire horde of Heartless.

However, this was not to last, as even more Heartless began to appear.

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Cure Princess growled.

"We don't have time for the small fry," Cure Fortune proclaimed. "We need to find the leader and take _him_ out!"

"Leave that one to me," Nick answered. "Can you all hold down the fort here?"

"Just try not to take too long, okay?" Cure Honey teased.

"Oh, once I find that leader guy, he's as good as swiss cheese," Nick answered, brandishing the keyblade and charging down the side path to reach the Third District, slashing through more Soldiers along the way.

Upon reaching the Third District, however, he noticed two more girls attacking a swarm of Heartless.

And they were both wielding keyblades.

"Hey, need some help?" Nick proclaimed, catching the girls' attention.

"Took you all long enough," Maylin answered. "I figured you'd have already mopped up by..."

Maylin turned around, only to cut her sentence short when she saw Nick.

"Hey, hey, you're the chosen one!" Maylin shouted.

"Like I haven't heard that one a thousand times," Nick teased.

"The Oracle sent us to find you," Haruka explained, slashing at another Soldier. "He told us to follow the keybearer."

"When you've already got keyblades yourselves?" Nick laughed.

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted, pointing to the sky. Pieces of an armored suit fell from the sky, crashing with much pageantry to the ground, eventually floating upwards and forming into a suit of armor with detached limbs a la Rayman.

"I'm guessing that's the leader," Nick quipped. "Well, then, let's take 'em out!"

"Hey, kid, I like your style," Maylin giggled as the trio prepared to face off with the Guard Armor.

The giant Heartless struck first sending its arms out in a piercing forward motion, though Haruka was easily able to defend against the strike.

"Maylin, hit him while I've got it distracted!" Haruka shouted.

"Roger dodger!" Maylin replied, producing a strange-looking coin.

Nick intercepted a strike from the left foot so Maylin could concentrate.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, tossing the coin into the air and striking it with her keyblade, Spellbinder, as it fell down. The coin's ancient letters shined brightly before creating seven or eight points of light around it. Each point of light unleashed a wicked thunderbolt, all of them screaming through the air to strike the Guard Armor directly in its torso, forcing it backwards.

Nick took this opportunity to strike, slashing the two legs away from him before hacking away at the vulnerable torso.

Just then, the Guard Armor began to spin wildly, forming a sort of tornado around itself.

"Get back, kid!" Maylin shouted, grabbing another magic coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!"

Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, and a current of wind wrapped itself around Nick just in time to protect him from the spinning Guard Armor.

"Nice save," Nick quipped.

"Don't mention it!" Maylin giggled.

Haruka, meanwhile, was fighting the Guard Armor's rogue legs. She continued to sidestep away to avoid the shockwaves that the armored feet produced with every step before jumping in to strike.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere fast," Haruka groaned. She then leapt back before jumping into the air and slamming Divine Rose down hard, creating a radial shockwave that destroyed both of the Guard Armor's legs.

"All right, two down and three to go!" Haruka exclaimed.

The Guard Armor responded to the destruction of its legs by lashing out to grab Nick in its clawed arms, cutting right through the barrier of wind surrounding him.

"Hey, let me go, you overgrown knight suit!" Nick shouted.

The Guard Armor complied, brutally slamming Nick into the ground. Nick was able to get up after the attack, but was obviously wounded, clutching his right shoulder and breathing heavily.

"Don't worry, kid," Maylin shouted. "Emergency nurse aid, coming up!"

Maylin clutched another coin in her hand, smiling before tossing it into the air. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! HEAL!"

Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, and Nick was surrounded by a soft green light. Once it cleared, the pain in Nick's shoulder had vanished completely.

"Thanks," Nick stated.

"No problem!" Maylin replied. "Now let's finish this thing off!"

Nick nodded and turned back to the Guard Armor, ready for whatever it would pull next.

The Guard Armor eventually started spinning again, but this time it began to hop up and down while spinning, creating tremors every time it impacted the ground.

After about eight tremors, Maylin decided she'd had enough. "Time to chill, jerk! Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"

When Maylin struck the coin, a field of snowflakes surrounded the Guard Armor before freezing it into a block of jagged ice and causing it to drop like a stone to the ground, shattering the ice and stunning it.

Haruka wasted no time in rushing over and slashing at both of the prone arms with Divine Rose, destroying them with one final strike. "All right, kid, finish him off!"

"My pleasure," Nick proclaimed before charging straight for the Guard Armor's vulnerable torso.

The Guard Armor attempted to pick itself up, but Nick was faster on the draw, ripping forward with one mighty slash.

The torso began to implode from the inside, explosions rocking its body. After a while, it froze completely, its head falling off and crashing to the ground. The remains of the Guard Armor eventually evaporated into nothingness, its only remains being a giant, glowing heart-shaped object that floated into the sky before vanishing.

"YES!" Maylin cheered, spinning Spellbinder in her hands as she did so. "One Heartless commander served up extra crispy!"

"So, I hear you two have been looking for me," Nick stated, walking up to Maylin and Haruka.

"Yep," Maylin giggled. "Don't you feel special now?"

"The Oracle told us that a new bearer of the keyblade was to be chosen, and that we were supposed to find him and stick together," Haruka explained. "It was right about the time your world was swallowed by the darkness."

"Wait, swallowed by darkness?!" Nick exclaimed. "What does that mean?!"

Haruka sighed heavily, knowing Nick wouldn't like this part. "The Heartless must have found the heart of your world and stolen it. When a world's heart is taken, the world is effectively destroyed."

"But just because the heart of the world was taken doesn't mean it's gone forever," Maylin countered, noticing that Nick looked like he was about to cry. "If we can find the world's heart and release it from whoever took it, your world will be restored."

"And there are ways we can help other worlds," Haruka continued. "The keyblade is able to open or close any lock in existence, even the doors to the hearts of the world. Basically, if we can find a world's keyhole and lock it with the keyblade, that world is safe from the Heartless."

"Say, you wanna come with us?" Maylin asked. "We have a cool starship that we use to travel between worlds."

Nick just looked up at the starry sky, lamenting the loss of his world.

"Nick, go with them," Iona proclaimed, walking up to the three with Megumi, Hime, and Yuuko right behind her. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

"What about all of you?" Maylin wondered.

"Ah, we can hold the fort," Hime replied. "Things are pretty calm now that the leader boy's out of the picture."

Maylin looked at Nick, who was still sad.

"Hey, you can't come along looking like that, got it?" Maylin proclaimed, catching Nick's attention. "Our operation runs on happy faces, understand?"

Nick looked down, then up at Maylin, bursting into an extremely cheesy grin.

Maylin and Haruka just stared blankly at Nick for a few seconds before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, god, _that's_ hilarious!" Maylin giggled.

"Sure, why not?" Nick stated. "Looks like I've got traveling buddies now."

"Name's Maylin Rae!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Call me Haruka Rose," Haruka stated, holding Divine Rose proudly.

"And I'm Nick Kelly," Nick replied.

As Maylin leaped over to hug Nick, they had no idea that they were all being watched from a far away land. Many figures were stationed around a circular pedestal, where a pool of dark green energy was displaying the aftermath of the battle in Traverse Town.

"That little squirt took down the Heartless?!" a figure proclaimed, a young man wearing a police outfit with unkempt hair. "Who would have thought it?!"

"Such is the power of the keyblade," a tall man with fairy-like wings replied. "The child's strength is not his own."

"Why don't we just turn him into a Heartless?" a young woman wearing pirate garb asked, cackling loudly. "That'll settle things quick enough."

"And those girls with him are the Oracle's lackeys," a small, monkey-like figure replied. "They're all deadbeats from the look of them."

"You're no prize yourself, monkey man," the officer shot back.

"Why, you..."

"Enough," a new voice proclaimed. Everyone gathered in the area looked over to the large mirror in the corner, where a sinister silhouette could be seen.

"The keyblade has chosen him," the man in the mirror proclaimed. "Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will it swallow him? Either way, he could be quite useful."

Back in Traverse Town, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka were joined by the members of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure, who had decided to see them off on their journey.

"You guys had better make sure that you're prepared for the journey ahead of you," Iona stated. "We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."

"You guys stay together and keep each others' spirits up!" Yuuko giggled.

"Yeah, as long as you stick together, you'll be unstoppable!" Hime exclaimed.

"Good luck, everybody," Megumi stated. "I hope we can meet again sometime soon."

And with that, the Pretty Cures dashed off to parts unknown.

"Well, if we're all ready to go, let's get going!" Maylin proclaimed. "Our ship is just outside the gate!"

"Do you two _really_ have a starship?" Nick wondered.

"Well, it's a ship, and it travels through the stars, so boom, starship!" Maylin teased.

"Seriously, Maylin?" Haruka groaned. "Well, technically, it's a 'gummi ship', but it's made out of the materials that allow us to travel between worlds, so it still counts, right?"

"Wait, before we go..." Maylin interrupted, fishing one of her magic coins out of her pocket. "Nick, this is for you."

Maylin took a few steps forward to give Nick the coin. When Nick accepted it, he felt a sudden surge of power as the coin shined and vanished. Wondering what had just happened, Nick spun the Kingdom Key around and slashed it downward, creating a brief spiral of fire around him.

"Wow, you learn quickly!" Maylin giggled. "Now you can use magic, too. Haruka, give him the other thing, 'kay?"

"Wha...?" Haruka wondered. "Oh, _that_ thing!"

Haruka handed Nick a glowing white gemstone. "This is an Ability Crystal. Sometimes you find these in strange places, and using one will grant you a new skill. Go ahead, try it out!"

Stuck for a suitable thing to actually use it on, Nick suddenly spotted a Soldier approaching the group. Grinning wildly, Nick charged for the Soldier like an all-star slugger after the game-winning hit. Nick began to spin circles around the Soldier, the keyblade creating gleaming after-images in its wake. The Soldier didn't stand a chance, literally being sucked into the path of the spinning keyblade and destroyed.

"Awesome!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'm calling that one the 'Vortex'," Nick proclaimed.

"Abilities allow you to do all kinds of awesome tricks," Haruka stated. "Guess we should look for them along the way, huh?"

"Well, is that everything?" Nick quipped. "I've got friends who are waiting for me, after all."

"Let's make sure we're ready, first," Maylin stated. "Don't wanna run into an unfair situation with the odds stacked against us, right?"

As Haruka and Maylin began to make small talk, Nick glanced at the Kingdom Key, seeing his reflection in its gleaming blade.

 _Don't worry, girls, I'll be back soon,_ Nick thought, a determined expression flickering to life.

"Well, if we're all equipped, let's get goin'!" Maylin exclaimed.

Surprisingly, Maylin suddenly leaned closer to Nick. "Aren't you lucky, Nick?" Maylin giggled. "You get to travel with two pretty girls!"

"He normally hangs around with _five_ pretty girls," Haruka countered. "I don't think it's something he's going to count on."

Maylin burst out laughing when she saw Nick's rising blush. "Wow, he's _blushing!_ "

"Something I feel I need to tell you about Maylin," Haruka noted. "She gets flirty _incredibly_ easily. It's actually kinda funny sometimes."

Maylin just huffed in response to that comment. "I also don't take cracks well, so how about you get your behind to the gummi ship before you get zapped?!"

Haruka knew Maylin wouldn't actually threaten her; it was just so fun to tease her. "I may as well. I _am_ the designated pilot, after all."

"And don't you forget it," Maylin proclaimed proudly.

Nick just mused on the wackiness of his new friends as the group walked through the now open town gate into a swirling vortex of multi-colored light.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: All right, and now our adventure has begun!

Maylin: That's odd. Our first stop's a school. Seriously, we couldn't get anything flashier than a school?!

Haruka: I don't know, Maylin, what these people can _do_ in this school might change your tone.

Maylin: Wait, is this a _fighting_ school?!

Haruka: Something to that effect.

Nick: You two have seen some strange places, have you? And this is only the first stop of many.

Haruka: Oh, you'd be surprised.

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "The Shining Beacon"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	2. The Shining Beacon

"Wow, this thing is pretty space-age," Nick quipped as he sat down on one of the three seats of the Gummi Ship's bridge.

"Tell me about it," Haruka replied, sitting down in the captain's chair, seeing as she was the designated pilot of the ship. "The first time I saw it, I thought it looked like a cobbled-together lego ship."

"Hey!" Maylin shot back.

"Well, that's what it looks like," Haruka countered.

"So, pardon my confusion, but what exactly does this ship do, besides the obvious?" Nick wondered, gazing out the bridge window towards a swirling blue void of stars.

"Well, we use this baby to travel from world to world," Maylin explained. "Believe it or not, the blocks this ship is made from are made of the very same element that allows us to travel between worlds!"

"So, basically, without this, we'd be stuck in Traverse Town, since we can't access Candracar at the moment," Haruka continued. "Thank the Oracle and his tendency for backup plans."

"Oh, crap, Heartless ships at two-thirty!" Maylin exclaimed. A small platoon of Heartless fighter jets flew by the Gummi Ship. "Haruka, punch it!"

"Already on it," Haruka replied, gripping the controls and starting the ship up. The Gummi Ship roared to life with a loud rumble, coasting through the star-filled void.

"Yeah, these Heartless ships often give us headaches during the flight," Maylin groaned. "They're never anything too tough, though. A few laser blasts to the face and they usually go down like that. But always keep a lookout, 'cause you never know when one of those buggers could blindside us!"

Nick's eye was then drawn to a peculiar screen on the control console.

"That documents our journey," Haruka answered while firing the lasers to shoot down a few Heartless. "It's basically our journal, to capture every element of the worlds we explore, just in case we need reference material."

Nick just nodded, his mind drifting to the Guardians. _I hope they're doing all right..._

Nick suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned his head to see Maylin smiling at him.

"Hey, don't worry," Maylin proclaimed. "We'll find your friends. That's a promise."

Maylin leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek, causing him to blush ever so slightly. _Well, she_ _ **definitely**_ _likes me,_ Nick thought.

"Seatbacks stowed, everybody! New world, dead ahead!" Haruka exclaimed, maneuvering the Gummi Ship towards a structure out in the void.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger ** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick, Maylin, and Haruka have arrived at the first stop on their journey: Beacon Academy, a school that trains Huntsmen and Huntresses to do battle with the Creatures of Grimm, vicious beasts that threaten humanity. However, not all is well, as Beacon seems to have a spy within its midst, and the situation is compounded further with the arrival of the Heartless. Can our keyblade-wielding trio get to the bottom of the infiltration?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Our first stop is Rooster Teeth's anime-esque showcase RWBY. Timeline-wise, the events of this episode take place between Volume 2 and Volume 3. Also, there's going to be some White Rose (Ruby X Weiss) because I'm a pretty big shipper of those two and I've been on a bit of a White Rose binge lately. Plus, I just feel like letting Ruby and Weiss be happy, ESPECIALLY after watching the Volume 3 finale. No spoilers, but... I WAS NOT READY FOR THAT. _**AT ALL.**_

* * *

Episode 2: The Shining Beacon

 _And so, our adventure had begun. I honestly felt better knowing that there was actually a way to reverse what had happened to my world, but that didn't mean I was going to show the Heartless any mercy whatsoever. Anyway, our first stop yielded some... shall we say, interesting results._

Nick shook his head a few times to clear out the strange tingly feeling that the Gummi Ship's teleporters left him with.

"Okay, that was weird," Nick quipped.

"You'll get used to it," Haruka stated.

"All right, my question is, where are we?" Maylin asked, hefting Spellbinder on her shoulders.

Haruka looked out at the vistas ahead, but all she needed to see was the castle-like building that they had arrived near.

"Fellow keyblade wielders," Haruka proclaimed rather dramatically. "Welcome to Beacon Academy."

"Oh, man, it's a _school_?!" Maylin groaned.

"Not just any school," Haruka replied. "This place trains gifted individuals to utilize their abilities in order to fight off the Creatures of Grimm, monsters from the old storybooks."

"So, it's a combat school?" Maylin gasped. "Okay, I rescind my previous complaint. THAT'S AWESOME!"

"All right, but here's _my_ question," Nick stated. "Is there anything we can do right now? Because if the Heartless are here, that's going to make keeping a low profile difficult."

"If the Heartless _are_ here, then keeping a low profile's going to be impossible, honestly," Haruka answered. "Let's just work with what we've got and take it from there."

Just then, a loud scream erupted from the plaza not too far off.

"What the heck was _that_?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Spellbinder.

"Trouble," Nick replied, summoning the Kingdom Key to his right hand. "Let's go check it out."

Haruka wasted no time in summoning Divine Rose, and with that, the trio raced towards Beacon to investigate.

"What the heck is _that_ thing?!" Jaune Arc exclaimed, slashing at the strange shadow creature that had popped up in the plaza.

The creature, a shadowy hunchback resembling a Beowulf, just gurgled before lunging over Jaune's head...

...straight for Pyrrha.

Before Pyrrha could even draw her weapon to retaliate, Nick leapt in and swung the Kingdom Key horizontally, bisecting the Shadowulf in one clean strike.

"Is everything okay?" Nick asked.

"I'll be fine," Pyrrha replied. "These weird shadow things just popped up in the plaza and started attacking everyone."

"We'll take care of the infestation!" Maylin exclaimed. "You all just get somewhere safe!"

Pyrrha nodded, taking Jaune with her to ferry all of the nearby students to a safe distance.

"All right, everybody, let's waste these suckers!" Maylin giggled.

With that, the trio charged into battle, hacking away at the Shadowulfs one by one.

"Maylin, incoming behind you!" Haruka shouted, tossing Divine Rose for an incoming Shadowulf, splitting it in half no problem.

"Thanks for the coverage, Haruka!" Maylin exclaimed, spinning Spellbinder in her hands. "Now it's my turn."

Maylin slipped her hand into her right pocket, pulling out a blue spell coin.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!" Maylin shouted, tossing the coin into the air and striking it with Spellbinder. The coin's ancient text glowed brightly, and a field of snowflakes surrounded her, instantly freezing any Shadowulfs it touched into ice cubes.

Nick took this as his cue, leaping in and swinging Kingdom Key at the frozen Heartless, destroying them with one swing.

But no matter how many Heartless the trio destroyed, more just seemed to pop up to replace the destroyed ones.

"Crap, this isn't working!" Nick shouted, doing a spin attack to dispatch two of the Shadowulfs surrounding him. "It's like five more pop up for every one of them we destroy!"

"Well, maybe we need to get rid of a bunch of them at once," Haruka quipped. "Maybe it'll open up some room to work."

"Hey, Nick, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Maylin giggled.

"Oh, yeah," Nick replied.

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as more Shadowulfs surrounded them. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Kingdom Key above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Shadowulfs flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging more Shadowulfs. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Shadowulfs while Nick slammed Kingdom Key into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Heartless as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnet spell to gather the Shadowulf horde together. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive the Kingdom Key down in a final attack that spiked the Shadowulfs down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

"Yeah! How's _that_ for skill?!" Maylin proclaimed as she and Nick touched their keyblades together to celebrate their victory.

"I gotta admit, that was some pretty on-the-fly thinking there," Haruka quipped, letting Divine Rose rest on her shoulder.

"It's simple logic, Haruka," Maylin giggled. "A tag-team combination attack is the best way to take out hordes of those weirdos."

"I won't argue that, especially since it worked so well," Nick replied.

"Well, Nick, now you and I have a crowd-clearer on our hands!" Maylin stated.

"Um, I don't mean to break up the celebration, but we've got more Heartless incoming!" Haruka shouted, using Divine Rose to gesture towards an incoming swarm of Shadows and Shadowulfs.

Nick growled, holding Kingdom Key aloft. "This could be tougher than I thought."

One of the Shadowulfs leapt straight for Maylin...

...and then, a loud gunshot sound split the air and something struck the Shadowulf, destroying it right there.

Nick looked behind him and saw a girl about his age with long, blonde hair holding her hand out towards where the Shadowulf had been. Her hands were equipped with an odd-looking pair of gauntlets.

"Nailed it," Yang Xiao Long giggled.

"Come on, guys, let's mop these losers up!" Ruby Rose exclaimed, brandishing Crescent Rose and directing the rest of her team toward the horde of Shadows.

"Well, well, looks like the cavalry arrived just in time!" Maylin shouted. "Let's do what that scythe girl said and mop up!"

With that, the trio joined Team RWBY in attacking the swarm of Heartless.

"Hey, these chicks are pretty good at this!" Maylin shouted, destroying a Shadowulf that had already been shot by Yang, who pivoted around to attack any Shadows that came close, sending them flying with a single blast each from the Ember Celica.

"Well, I'd guess they're Huntresses, then," Haruka replied, leaping off of Blake Belladona's shoulders to slice apart a Shadowulf that had decided to attack from above. Blake continued the multi-directional attack by dual-wielding both halves of Gambol Shroud to cut down Shadows from multiple angles. "LOVE the dual-wielding, by the way."

Weiss Schnee waved Myrtenaster around before casting a salvo of ice spells to freeze a pack of Shadowulfs. Maylin immediately followed up by shouting "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" and striking a spell coin, causing a small field of wicked lightning bolts to drop down from the sky and vaporize the remaining ones.

Nick looked around; there were quite a few Shadowulfs surrounding him and Ruby. Silently, Nick glanced at Ruby, who just nodded, understanding what he wanted. Nick extended his keyblade and reached out to grab Ruby's free hand so she could begin to spin him around. Nick eventually stuck out Kingdom Key so that it destroyed any Heartless who were foolish enough to get close.

Ruby transformed Crescent Rose into gun mode before beginning to fire rapidly, creating a short-range rain of gunfire that continued to rip through the horde.

For the finale, Nick and Ruby leapt high into the air, charging up for one final shot. Ruby unleashed a powerful concussive blast while Nick swung hard enough to shoot a wave of concentrated light energy. Both attacks thundered down towards the ground and easily destroyed the remaining Heartless.

"Booya," Nick quipped, high-fiving Ruby as they landed on the ground.

"Well, it looks like that's the last of them," Haruka stated. "That was a pretty impressive horde, if I do say so myself."

"Oh, _sure_ , you action-seeker," Maylin groaned. She knew Haruka loved the thrill of battle, always wanting to test her skills against strong opponents. "That's the same thing you said when we were defending the Kresnik! You SAW how beefy THAT horde was!"

"Well, these were just the low-level mooks, after all," Haruka replied. "Nothing like those bad boys."

"Whatever," Maylin quipped.

"Is everyone okay?" Weiss asked.

"We should be," Jaune replied, having just returned to the plaza with Pyrrha now that the Heartless were defeated. "I have _no idea_ what those things were, but they're unlike any monster I've ever seen."

"They just appeared out of nowhere and started flooding the plaza," Pyrrha continued. "I almost thought they were Grimm, but they were too small for that."

"Well, it's a long story, honestly," Nick stated.

"Well, how about we talk about it over lunch?" Yang quipped.

"Sounds good to me!" Maylin exclaimed.

Haruka just shook her head. "And she calls _me_ weird just because I like to smack down some Heartless..."

Far away from the crowd, on the very edge of Beacon Academy's landmass, a strange hooded figure can be seen observing events.

"So, this is where it begins."

Inside of Beacon, Team RWBY, having finally navigated the chaos of the lunch line, sat down at a table so they could chat with Nick, Maylin, and Haruka.

"So, you guys new to Beacon?" Yang asked.

"Well, somewhat," Haruka replied. "We're not exactly from _around here_ , if you catch my drift."

"That was a cool weapon you guys used!" Ruby giggled. "What's it called?"

Nick took a look at his keyblade. "To be honest, I never actually gave this thing a name."

Blake and Weiss suddenly perked up upon catching a close look at Nick's weapon. "Wait a minute, is that... is that a _keyblade_?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"I thought that was just a legend," Blake gasped. "There were many legends talking about the keyblade and its wielders..."

"I guess word travels fast," Maylin answered, lazily twirling Spellbinder in her left hand.

"I was just chosen by the keyblade after I lost my world," Nick explained. "My friends and I are trying to find a way to get our world back. Those things that just attacked us were the Heartless, creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts. Those things took my own world, so you can imagine I've got a vendetta against them."

"Have the Heartless attacked here before?" Haruka asked.

"Not really," Ruby replied. "They only started popping up today, after we saw this strange figure sneaking into Beacon."

"Strange figure?" Nick quipped.

"Yeah, it was some weirdo wearing a black hood," Ruby continued. "Once that person waltzed in, those Heartless started appearing."

"I wonder if they're connected?" Maylin noted. "Did you get a good look at that guy?"

"I don't know if it's a guy or girl," Ruby admitted. "That cloak covers _everything_."

"Well, gang, we've officially got a mystery on our hands," Maylin quipped. "How about we all split up and see if we can find that nut?"

"Yeah, whoever that figure is, they've got to still be in the school," Haruka noted. "We can't let the Heartless spread, otherwise we're gonna have a problem on our hands."

"I guess it's a good thing we don't have school today, since everyone's preparing for the Vytal Festival," Blake quipped.

"All right, here's how I think we should fan out," Nick quipped. "Maylin, you and Yang go check out the east area. Haruka, you and Blake go check out the west half. I'll go with Ruby and Weiss and check out the upper levels."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yang proclaimed.

From far-off, unseen by any of the students, the mysterious hooded figure can be seen observing the situation. The figure shakes its head in confirmation before slinking back through the shadows.

So, this was the boy who had the nerve to interfere.

The figure was honestly curious now.

* * *

Nick kept the Kingdom Key out and ready as his group stalked through the halls, looking for any sign of the strange figure.

"Where are you, jerk?" Nick growled. "Where are you hiding?"

"It's _way_ too quiet up here..." Ruby noted, clutching Crescent Rose just in case she needed to whip it out.

"Hey, yeah, what happened to the lights on this floor?" Weiss noted, her right hand drifting to the hilt of Myrtenaster. "They're usually on during the afternoon hours..."

"I don't like this," Nick stated. "Dark hallway, lights are out, so many places someone could hide... all the perfect candidates for an ambush."

Ruby thought she saw something stalking through the shadows, and switched Crescent Rose to its gun mode and aimed towards the disturbance. "Who's there?!"

Sure enough, a swarm of Shadows spawned from the floor, accompanied by a pack of Shadowulfs and a few Soldiers, tiny knight-like Heartless.

"Yep. Ambush," Nick sighed, bringing Kingdom Key into a battle stance. "Let's just take 'em out."

Ruby and Weiss were the first to charge in, executing very well-coordinated attacks to rip through the swarm in mere seconds.

Nick had to marvel at the display of teamwork they showed. He knew that he already worked pretty well with Maylin and Haruka, despite having just met them, but _this_ was just awe-inspiring to him.

Just as Weiss was about to bring Myrtenaster down to bisect a Shadowulf, it hopped away from her strike and dashed for Nick.

Nick responded by charging out to meet the Shadowulf, spinning circles around it to confuse it, eventually ending with a powerful baseball swing that sent the Shadowulf rocketing into a nearby wall, dissipating into wisps of darkness upon impact. A shining pink heart-shaped object floated away from where the Shadowulf had been.

"Hey, what's with the flying heart?" Ruby quipped, her eyes following the floating heart until it faded away.

"Ruby, focus!" Weiss exclaimed, countering a Soldier's lunge with a quick diagonal chop.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ruby babbled, spinning Crescent Rose like a whirlwind around her, as if daring any of the Heartless to come close. One Soldier dared venture close and paid the price, being ripped in two by Ruby's spinning blade.

A pack of Soldiers all lunged for Weiss, but she simply spun Myrtenaster's revolver before firing off an icicle spear that ripped through their ranks easily.

Not one to be left out, Nick leapt into the fray, swinging Kingdom Key left and right, taking out one Shadow after another. As the hearts floated up to the sky, they shined and dissipated instead of simply fading away.

At last, the swarm died down, leaving Nick, Ruby, and Weiss to take stock of the situation.

"Well. That was... expected," Weiss noted. "Nick, do you think that whoever this hooded figure is has the power to control the Heartless?"

"I wouldn't rule anything out, honestly," Nick replied. "This is only the first world we've been to on our journey. I really wouldn't be surprised if someone had the power to actually control those things..."

"Hey, what was that with the flying hearts?" Ruby wondered.

"Those were the hearts stolen by the Heartless," Nick explained, repeating what Haruka and Maylin had told him on the way to this world. "Only the keyblade can release those hearts so they can return to whoever they belong to. As far as we know, any weapon _can_ destroy the Heartless, as duly noted by you two cleaning house back there..."

Ruby just puffed her chest out proudly, Weiss just smiling at her partner's antics.

"...but unless a Heartless is taken down by a keyblade, that heart will just find its way somewhere else and turn back into a Heartless," Nick continued. "So, basically, normal weapons won't really get anywhere in the long run."

"In the meantime, how about we keep looking for this rascal?" Weiss proclaimed. "They must be nearby."

"Good point," Nick quipped.

Nick hadn't even taken a step forward before a large ball of shadow energy screamed through the dark hallway and exploded right in front of him, sending him coasting into the back wall.

"All right, who's the wise guy?!" Nick growled, getting to his feet and retrieving the Kingdom Key.

Just ahead, at the other end of the darkened hallway, was a figure cloaked completely in a black hood that almost seemed to make them blend in with the darkness itself.

"There's the jerk!" Ruby shouted, transforming Crescent Rose and aiming it straight at the figure.

"Okay, whoever you are, you have about five seconds before I decide to just come over there and stomp you one," Nick growled.

The figure either didn't hear Nick or chose to ignore him, simply walking forward.

"Abandon this pitiful quest," the figure stated, the voice sounding overlapping and distorted, as if two people were talking at once.

"Um, excuse me?" Nick shot back.

"You do not know what kind of power you are playing with," the figure answered. "The keyblade is not meant for the hands of a child."

Nick simply gripped Kingdom Key tighter. "You wanna run that by me again?!"

"Why it would choose someone like you, I cannot fathom. Nonetheless, I have a duty, and you will not stop me from seeing it through."

The figure suddenly sped up, almost appearing to be a blur, and moved to attack Nick.

Ruby was faster on the draw, thankfully, activating her semblance and meeting the figure's strike head-on.

"Forget it, weirdo," Ruby proclaimed.

"So, you would stand in my way? Very well."

The figure raised its free hand, generating a solid bolt of lightning and shoving it forward before Ruby even knew what was going on, knocking her back and forcing her to drop Crescent Rose. The figure didn't waste a second, phasing out and reappearing behind Ruby, both arms constricting her so she couldn't move.

"RUBY!" Weiss shouted.

"You simply have no clue what you play with, boy," the figure stated.

"H-hey, let me go, freak show!" Ruby shouted, squirming around in the figure's iron grip.

"I do not think so, Rose," the figure stated, twiddling its fingers and letting darkness surround its hand. The darkness eventually lengthened into a strange keyblade. The weapon's shaft had a deep grey edge which curved in at intervals, the inside fading from dark red to black from its base, which had several angled lines pointing toward the guard as the center bore a bright red line, stretching to the tip as it lead to an equally red rune marking. The teeth were axe-like, with the same coloration as the top of the shaft, an angled piece and several lines cut out, giving the illusion of teeth. The guard was a dark steel blue and had a hexagonal shape with numerous semicircles imprinted around it.

"W-what the hell?!" Nick exclaimed. "Is that a _keyblade_?!"

"Yes. It is a keyblade," the figure responded. "But unlike you, I have been around for many lifetimes to come, and so I know how best to use its power."

The figure aimed Darkgnaw dangerously close to Ruby's neck. "Do not take another step. If you do, the girl's life is forfeit."

Weiss wasn't shaken so easily, aiming Myrtenaster for the figure. "Let go of my partner right now, freak."

"Oh? And what will you do if I refuse?" the figure laughed.

Weiss growled inwardly. "Let me rephrase that, then."

Weiss spun Myrtenaster, reloading her Dust ammo and pointing it threateningly at the figure. "Let go of my friend THIS INSTANT!"

Not waiting for an answer, Weiss swung Myrtenaster and a magical glyph appeared in front of her. After spinning in place for a second, the glyph unleashed a storm of ice shards that flew around the hallway before thundering towards the figure's seemingly unprotected backside.

The figure simply huffed, its eyes shining a dark purple as a field of darkness appeared behind her to absorb all of the ice shards.

"What was that you were trying to do?" the figure proclaimed. "Playing the hero is very ill-advised, Schnee. You seemingly do not know your place in this situation."

The figure clutched Darkgnaw, making it very clear what it intended to do.

Weiss stood there, frozen with indecision. One part of her was telling her to go in and attack before the figure could do any harm to Ruby, but another part was saying that they might not make it in time, and Ruby's fate would be sealed.

"It seems you finally understand," the figure laughed. "Now, then, say goodbye to your precious Rose."

"Freeze, punk!"

The figure looked behind itself for just a second.

All the time Maylin needed.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! STOP!" Maylin shouted, striking a coin with Spellbinder. Its ancient text glowed brightly, and strange light began to surround the figure. A clock face appeared around it, and when the hands stopped moving, the figure froze completely.

"Get Ruby away from that freak!" Maylin shouted. "That Stop spell won't hold 'em for long!"

Weiss didn't need to be reminded again, dashing in to wrench the evil-looking keyblade away from Ruby's neck and pull her to safety.

"Are... are you okay, Ruby?" Weiss asked. That had been far too scary.

"I should be fine, Weiss," Ruby giggled, reaching out to hug Weiss tightly. "Thank you for being so worried about me."

This time, Weiss didn't even have the energy to tell Ruby off for being affectionate in the middle of a battle, settling on simply returning Ruby's hug, infinitely happy she was still alive.

"Thank goodness for your impeccable timing, Maylin," Nick proclaimed. "How did you know something was up?"

"I ran into that freak in the west halls," Maylin explained. "Spouted some nonsense against me and just disappeared. I figured weirdo here would probably go after one of you guys next, so I bolted it for who was closest to me. My question is, why does this nutter have a _keyblade_?!"

"My question, too," Nick replied, just as the Stop spell wore off and the figure looked around in complete disbelief.

"You will rue the day you crossed me, keyblade wielders," the figure growled. "You will learn soon enough that such power is not meant for the likes of you."

And with that, the figure vanished through a corridor of darkness.

"Should... should we give them a moment?" Maylin asked, referring to the fact that Weiss and Ruby were still hugging each other.

Nick nodded, and the two keyblade wielders moved out of the hallway to go find Haruka and Blake, and hopefully get some answers as to what the hooded figure's deal was.

 _I knew that look in Weiss' eyes. It's the same look I have when I tend to think about Cornelia. Question is, how long has this been a thing? You know what, scratch that, I'll think about that later. It's not really my business, anyway. What I want to know right now is pretty simple: who was that hooded freak and why does he have a_ _ **keyblade**_ _?! Something really doesn't add up here..._

"So, you found the spy?" Yang quipped. "Kinda stupid that he'd run away after that..."

"This is no ordinary spy, Yang," Nick replied. The entire group had convened in Team RWBY's dorm to divulge what had gone down on the upper levels. "That freak has a _keyblade_."

"W-wait, _what_?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Freak show tried to take down Ruby with that thing!" Maylin exclaimed. "Good thing I managed to hit him with a Stop spell, too."

Nick cast a glance at Weiss and Ruby, who were sitting on the bottom half of their bunk beds (even though the top bunk was literally just a regular bed held to the ceiling by ropes, of all things). Nick could easily tell that Weiss was still a little stressed out by what had almost happened during that battle. _I'd be, too, if I was in that situation,_ Nick thought. Ruby was trying to comfort Weiss, patting her shoulder lightly and assuring her she would be okay.

"Weiss thinks that that hooded person may be controlling the Heartless," Nick stated. "Ruby did say that the Heartless only showed up here when that figure did."

"Okay, I think priority one is finding that hooded jerk and making him or her cough up what they know!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I don't think it'd be that easy, Maylin," Haruka replied. "If what Nick said is true, we can't afford to underestimate him."

"Say, this reminds me of something," Blake realized. "I've read many legends about the keyblade, but a lot of them were different. Some said that its wielder brought great light, while others wrought only chaos and darkness."

"Well, I think we know what camp mister hood is part of," Maylin quipped. "We seriously need to find this freak! I can only imagine what kinds of cosmic horror they have planned!"

So, it was agreed that the group would once again split into teams to investigate the school and find the hooded figure. This time around, Haruka went with Ruby, Weiss went with Nick, and Maylin accompanied Blake and Yang.

Nick and Weiss' first stop was the outdoor plaza where the first Heartless swarm had popped up. Weiss had stated that the hooded figure may eventually return to the "scene of the crime", as it were, and so it was a good first spot to check out.

"You really think that person would be daft enough to attack in the middle of such a large crowd?" Weiss wondered, her hand on Myrtenaster's hilt, just in case she needed to bring it out at a moment's notice.

"Oh, trust me, Weiss, with all the crazy crap _I've_ seen in my life, I'm willing to bet this freak doesn't care about the element of surprise," Nick replied.

After a few more checks around the area, Weiss decided to say what she'd been trying to say for a little bit.

"Hey... thank you for letting me have a moment back there," Weiss stated, blushing slightly.

"Weiss? I know this isn't really any of my business, but because my curiosity likes to get the better of me, I have to ask... do you like Ruby or something?" Nick wondered, causing Weiss to blush harder.

"W-what? W-what makes you say that?" Weiss stammered.

"I saw the look in your eyes when we fought that wacko," Nick replied.

"And? That look could have meant anything!" Weiss instantly proclaimed. Nick wasn't buying it.

"Weiss, that's the same look _I_ have in _my_ eyes when I think about the girl I love."

Nick's reply caused Weiss to go silent.

"Y-you..."

"There's this girl from my world who I've had a crush on for a while," Nick explained. "She had a boyfriend for a time, so all I really _could_ do was crush on her. But then, he had to be a jerk about it..." Nick clenched his fists tightly, still wishing he could find Caleb and teach him a lesson. _Not the time, Nick, not the time..._ "Then, I thought that maybe I'd have a chance with her, but..."

Nick sighed heavily. "I don't know if she got away when the Heartless took my world..." Nick decided to leave Candracar out just for now. "That's why I noticed the look in your eyes, because it's exactly like my situation. I may not be the smartest person in the universe, but I know how to pay attention."

Weiss just looked up at the sky, absorbing the information. "Well... I know Ruby and I didn't exactly have the best start, but I've tried everything I can to make up for it. To be honest, I'm not opposed to the idea, it's just... I've never really had an actual crush on anyone before. Most of the boys who've been interested in me were just suitors picked by my father."

Weiss sighed in resignation. "So, Nick, to answer your question... yes, I-I do like Ruby. I'm just worried about how _she_ feels..."

"Why don't you just tell her, then?" Nick replied. "I'll bet you _anything_ she feels the same way. You, of all people, know how affectionate she gets around you. And I clearly saw how well you two work together. In my honest opinion, you two are _made_ for each other."

That only caused Weiss to blush harder, but she didn't deny it. She had done everything she could to make up for the way she'd acted towards Ruby when they first met, but she hadn't expected it to progress this fast.

"Weiss!" Ruby's voice shouted. Weiss spun on her heel to see Ruby and Haruka rushing over, their weapons out and ready.

"We saw the hooded guy, but he just chickened out before we could stomp on him," Ruby stated.

"Did you get anything from him?" Nick asked.

"Nothing useful," Haruka answered. "Just the same stuff about 'keyblades not being meant for children'. But something's bothering me... I _know_ I've seen that freak's keyblade somewhere before, but I can't quite place it..."

Weiss snuck a glance at Ruby, blushing again. She quickly shook it off, however, realizing that she may as well follow Nick's advice and take a chance while she could. _What have you got to lose, after all?_

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yes, Weiss?" Ruby replied, bearing a grin that Weiss thought was extremely adorable.

 _Okay, Weiss, you can do this._

"Ruby... I've... well, for a while now, I've..."

Sadly, fate decided to intervene.

A large column of dark energy descended from the sky, creating a portal of darkness from which the hooded figure walked out of.

"You again," Nick growled.

"Why am I not surprised that you chose not to heed my advice?" the figure groaned, drawing Darkgnaw. "I guess I will need to use more forceful methods to get you to understand."

The figure thrust Darkgnaw to the sky, its power ripping a portal open behind her. The figure decided to disappear and let her servant take care of matters.

Maylin quickly rushed over, having felt the massive flare of dark power even from inside Beacon. Blake and Yang weren't far behind, their weapons already drawn and primed for combat.

"What's going on now?!" Maylin shouted.

"Um, I think the bigger question is, _what the heck is THAT?!_ " Ruby shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards the massive beast that was emerging from the portal.

"I think that's the big boy," Nick proclaimed, hefting Kingdom Key aloft in preparation for the absolute chaos he knew was about to erupt.

The Heartless in question was massive, towering at least five times their height. It appeared to resemble a cross between a lion and a dragon, looking mostly like a fierce lion, but with the great wings of a dragon. Its skin was piercing black with white and red stripes splayed all across its body. Its eyes were a piercing shade of yellow, much like all other Heartless, and the Heartless symbol was etched onto its back, just between the wings. Covering its upper head was a giant bone fragment shaped like a mask, much like the Grimm had. The great beast opened its mouth, revealing unbelievably sharp fangs that looked able to pierce through even concrete as if it were child's play. It scraped its foot-long claws across the ground, creating deep gouges in the cement and staring down the keyblade wielders that stood before it.

"Girls, get ready!" Nick shouted, spinning the Kingdom Key in his hands. Maylin and Haruka summoned Spellbinder and Divine Rose, respectively, while Team RWBY readied their weapons.

The Chimera roared in challenge, a din so deafening it shattered the three nearby stone pillars into piles of fine rubble, before charging forward inexorably.

The group split off in different directions to avoid being run over by the Chimera as it charged. Thankfully, one weakness was already apparent; the Chimera was so large it couldn't turn around well, and just as its charge finished, Nick waved to everyone to start attacking.

Yang had decided to stay back and attack from long-range for the moment, unloading blast after blast from the Ember Celica into the Chimera's face, keeping it locked in its place so Blake could hop onto its back and attack, dual-wielding Gambol Shroud to slice at every possible weak point.

Weiss attempted to unleash a storm of ice shards, but the Chimera simply swung its head before the attack could reach it, its eyes blazing and unleashing a storm of light that disintegrated the shards.

"Well, that didn't work," Weiss groaned.

"Weiss! Let me try something!" Ruby exclaimed, stepping behind Weiss and letting her hands rest on her shoulders. Weiss suddenly felt something interesting; it appeared Ruby was channeling her semblance to make Weiss' attacks faster.

Weiss smiled at this, and swung Myrtenaster to unleash another storm of shards. As Ruby thought, adding her semblance to Weiss' attack made it much faster than the Chimera could hope to counter, the storm of ice shards battering at its head and forcing it to stumble back.

Maylin took this chance to unleash a spell of her own. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" she shouted, striking her spell coin and unleashing a wicked lightning bolt that crashed into the Chimera's head, making it roar in abject pain.

"Yeah, can't stand the heat, can you?!" Maylin quipped, only for the Chimera to roar and charge straight for Maylin. The young wizard gulped, knowing she couldn't cast another spell in time with how fast the Chimera was approaching.

"FIRE!" Nick shouted, channeling the magic power Maylin had bequeathed to him to shoot a rather large fireball into the Chimera's forehead, halting its charge immediately. Nick didn't waste a second, charging in while the Chimera was still recovering and leaping off of Maylin's shoulders so he could reach the Chimera's head to deliver a few whacks, complete with a somersaulting overhead strike that drove the Chimera to the ground.

"Sweet! We're kicking this thing's butt!" Ruby giggled, only to shut herself up when the Chimera quickly picked itself up and roared loudly again, sending the students that were already running to find safe havens into an even larger panic. The Chimera flapped its wings and took off, floating a few feet above the ground and staring down its attackers, as if daring them to find a way into the air.

"I believe that's my cue!" Yang shouted, charging up the Ember Celica for a few seconds before thrusting both of her hands forward and unleashing a powerful concussive blast from both gauntlets. The twin energy blasts screamed through the sky and struck the Chimera directly on the Heartless emblem on its chest, causing it to wobble around due to damage, even though it stayed afloat.

Ruby transformed Crescent Rose and began firing on the Chimera, hoping to keep it there so Weiss could attack. Sadly, the shots didn't faze the Chimera, and it swooped down to attack, raising its claws in hopes of eviscerating Ruby.

"Sorry, buddy, flight's cancelled!" Haruka shouted, making her presence known by jumping into the air and landing on the Chimera's back. Spinning Divine Rose in her hands, she raised it high above her head and slammed it down with all the force she could muster.

The impact was so harsh that an almost-invisible shockwave rippled out from where Haruka had struck as the Chimera crashed down to the ground.

"Holy Dust, she's so strong!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yeah, Haruka prefers force over technique," Maylin explained. "I try to tell her to learn some actual battle techniques, but does she ever listen to me?!"

Haruka landed gracefully on the ground, quickly moving in to slash at the Chimera's vulnerable head a few times before wisely backing away as the Chimera slowly got to its feet.

"I think we've got this thing on the run!" Blake exclaimed, shooting at the head a few times. "Let's keep up the pressure, guys!"

Suddenly, the Chimera's eyes began to glow an extremely sharp shade of gold.

"Oh, boy, I think it's about to get serious," Nick proclaimed.

The Chimera proved this by rearing up on its hind legs and coming back down to smash its front paws into the ground, creating a concussive shockwave that knocked all seven fighters away from it.

Ruby acted quickly, pressing her feet against a stone pillar that had mercifully survived the fight before launching herself like a bullet towards the Chimera, using her semblance to dramatically boost her velocity.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose, aiming its blade straight for the Chimera's forehead, only for the giant Heartless to spin around and lash out with its seven-foot tail, smashing Ruby back into the ground.

"Oh, crap, that thing just got a whole lot faster!" Maylin shouted, readying a Stop spell coin, only for the Chimera to instantly turn its head and fire a pair of energy beams from its eyes, forcing Maylin to hop back to avoid getting seared.

The Chimera seemed to go crazy at this point, haphazardly swiping its giant claws and roaring loudly enough to create near-deafening sonic booms that kept its attackers from approaching it.

"Okay, this is nuts!" Haruka exclaimed. "We need to put this thing down before it tears up the school!"

"Leave that to me," Weiss growled, stepping forward. Myrtenaster was glowing brightly. "Nobody does that to my partner on my watch."

Weiss drew a glyph with Myrtenaster before swinging it harshly, causing three rings of pure light to constrict around the Chimera, locking it in its place.

Weiss didn't stop there, firing off spell after spell as quickly as she could, intending to deal as much damage as she possibly could in retaliation for the monster hurting Ruby like that.

And sure enough, as the constant barrage of spells continued, the Chimera began to slow, weakened by the unstoppable onslaught.

Maylin added in her own support by quickly casting a Cure spell on Ruby to get her back into the fight, then unleashing a barrage of Thunder spells on the Chimera to keep it where it was.

Even Ruby joined in, firing Crescent Rose nonstop at the Chimera. The rest of Team RWBY contributed to the barrage of blasts, filling the air with a concerto of energy blasts and magic spells until the Chimera could take no more, wobbling on its feet for a couple seconds before slumping to the ground in defeat.

"Nick, it's down! Get in there and finish this thing off already!" Maylin shouted.

"Best idea I've heard all day," Nick proclaimed, charging back into the fray, the Kingdom Key held high. He leapt into the air, hopping off of Ruby's shoulders, as she was the closest, to propel himself high into the air.

The Chimera seemed to recover from its wounds, picking itself up and attempting to attack, but it was too late for it.

Coming back down from his aerial leap, Nick let out a loud battle cry as he dealt the finishing blow, smashing the Kingdom Key right into the Chimera's forehead before gripping his keyblade and ripping it through the great beast vertically until he reached the ground, effectively bisecting the Chimera.

Nick held his keyblade proudly as the Chimera roared in disbelief one last time before exploding with much pageantry into wisps of shadow that quickly disintegrated, a large energy heart floating into the air before quickly dissipating.

"And that's a win for us!" Yang cheered. "No giant beast is taking us down today!"

Nick noticed that a small green block had been left behind by the Chimera.

"Hey, that's a gummi block!" Maylin gasped, referring to the material that had been used to construct their Gummi Ship, the same material that allowed travel between worlds without a Heart of Candracar.

"This one doesn't look like the others," Haruka noted. "We should probably hold on to it for now."

"Good thinkin'!" Maylin giggled.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Weiss immediately asked, rushing to Ruby's side.

"I should be," Ruby quipped. "I definitely wasn't expecting that thing to get fast enough to outspeed _me_ , of all people."

"Well, that was one heck of a battle," Haruka giggled. "I hope the next giant monstrosity is as fun as this one was."

"Oh, don't you _even_ start with me..." Maylin groaned.

"Hey, you should know I find fighting strong opponents thrilling!" Haruka exclaimed. "It's always fun to test your limits and push yourself to do the best you can possibly do!"

"Well, yeah, but maybe you shouldn't be thinking about _willingly_ leaping into the jaws of the beast that wants to _roast_ you!" Maylin countered.

"Are they always like this?" Weiss wondered, suppressing a giggle at their antics.

"To be fair, I've only known them for a short time, and they've known each other for far longer, I'm sure," Nick replied. "I usually just let them be."

"I see..."

"Hey, Weiss?"

Weiss looked back at Ruby, who was staring at her as if expecting Weiss to say something.

Just then, Weiss remembered what she'd wanted to tell Ruby before the Chimera had shown up.

 _It's now or never, Weiss. Just go ahead and tell her!_

Weiss walked up and let her hands rest on Ruby's shoulders, thanking her lucky stars that Yang was so wrapped up in watching Maylin and Haruka argue about the thrill of battle, otherwise she'd probably tease her to no end.

"Ruby... first off, I want to apologize."

"Huh?"

Weiss looked Ruby straight in the eyes. "I realized that I never apologized for the way I treated you for so long. I want to personally rectify that now, while I had a chance to."

Weiss leaned forward and hugged Ruby tightly. "Ruby, I am very sorry for the way I treated you..."

"Aw, it's okay, Weiss," Ruby immediately responded. "To be honest, I probably could have been a bit better about it myself..."

"That... also leads in to what I really want to say."

"Hmm? What is it, Weiss?"

And the more Weiss tried to let it out, the more she realized that words were failing her. After a bit of internal debate, Weiss decided to let her actions speak for her, pulling Ruby closer so that their lips connected. Naturally, Ruby was surprised, mostly because of how sudden it had been, but after only a second, she relaxed and kissed back.

"Is... is that the answer you wanted, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

Weiss couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "Yes. Yes, it was."

Weiss reached out to hug Ruby again. "I love you, Ruby."

Ruby couldn't help but smile. "I love you, too, Weiss."

Weiss sighed happily. Finally, she had gotten it off of her chest. She knew Ruby was never the type to really hold a grudge about anything. It almost felt like it was impossible not to love her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yang smiled as she watched Weiss and Ruby confess to each other. _Good for you, Rubes,_ Yang thought.

As Maylin and Haruka continued to banter with each other (it usually always devolved into harmless teasing after a few minutes), a bright light began to shine near the center of the courtyard.

"Oh, what _now_?!" Ruby shouted, ready to pound whatever was interrupting her moment.

The curved, cobbled stones at the center of the plaza crumbled away to reveal a rather strange sight. Carved into the dirt beneath the stones was what appeared to be a rather large keyhole, like you'd see on a door.

"Ooooookay, I've seen some weird things here, but I think _that's_ a topper!" Yang stated.

Maylin looked over, only to gasp in shock. "Holy crap, that's the Keyhole!"

"Nick, use your keyblade!" Haruka exclaimed.

Nick just nodded, remembering what Haruka had told him about the keyholes that led to the heart of a world. Holding the Kingdom Key above his head proudly, swirls of light blue energy surrounded its teeth before shooting a beam of light into the sky. Moments later, a similar beam came down from the sky and into the keyhole, causing it to shine with a bright light. One loud 'CLICK' later, and the keyhole disappeared, the crumbled stones reforming around it as if nothing had even happened.

"Okay, since I probably need to ask, what just happened?" Weiss wondered.

Maylin smiled proudly. "That was the world's keyhole. It's basically a gateway leading to the heart of a world. That's basically how the Heartless take worlds out of the picture. But once the keyhole is locked by a keyblade, that world is effectively in the clear. The Heartless can't ever touch that world's heart again."

" _That's_ a relief," Blake proclaimed. "It'd be pretty nuts trying to fight _those_ things off alongside the Grimm."

"I say we can take 'em!" Ruby proclaimed. Weiss just smiled, holding Ruby's free hand tightly.

"So, I guess that means you all have to get going now?" Weiss asked.

"Sadly, yes," Maylin quipped. "There's many other worlds out there that might need our help."

"Come back anytime!" Ruby giggled. "We'd love to have you!"

"Maybe we can even spar in the stadium, if you're feeling up to it," Yang proclaimed.

"Wait, you guys have a _stadium_?!" Haruka exclaimed.

Blake just pointed to the sky, where a giant, floating stadium complex could be seen, hanging far into the air like it was nothing.

"That's Amity Coliseum, the site of the Vytal Festival Tournament," Blake explained. "It's part of the upcoming Vytal Festival that celebrates peace between Remnant's four kingdoms. Huntsman and Huntresses from all over come to test their skills. It looks like it's actually going to be a pretty big thing this year."

"And I heard that Professor Ozpin actually set it up so you can even host simulated matches against customized opponents," Ruby stated. "Sounds like the perfect place for you guys to hone your skills!"

"Yeah, I think we'll take you up on that next time we're in the neighborhood," Nick replied. "But for the moment, the worlds are calling."

Team RWBY waved goodbye to their new friends as Haruka reached for her wrist-mounted communication device, typing in a few codes to activate the teleporters that would take the trio back to the Gummi Ship.

"Oh, wait, before you guys go!" Ruby exclaimed, rushing up to Nick and placing something in his hand. "This is for you."

Nick smiled, looking down at what he'd received from Ruby. It appeared to be a keychain that resembled the crest of Beacon Academy.

"Nick, try attaching it to your keyblade," Haruka quipped, knowing exactly what would happen.

Nick did just that, attaching the keychain to the hilt of the Kingdom Key and watched in surprise as the Kingdom Key transformed into an entirely new keyblade. The shaft of the new keyblade was a long, sharp sword similar to Weiss' Myrtenaster with the rapier's hilt acting as the keyblade's guard. The teeth of the keyblade were three scythe blades splayed out, referencing Ruby's Crescent Rose. The weapon's handle was basically a perfect copy of one of Yang's Ember Celica gauntlets, and the handle guard was both blades of Blake's Gambol Shroud. As Nick studied his new keyblade, the words _Signal Beacon_ ran through his head, most likely the weapon's name.

"Keep an eye out for keychains like that, Nick," Maylin quipped. "Attaching a keychain to your keyblade may give it a new form, and with it, new powers!"

"Thanks, Ruby. You have fun with your new girlfriend, now!" Nick teased. Weiss didn't freak out, just simply taking Ruby's hand again.

"Oh, trust me, I will take very good care of her," Weiss laughed.

Nick nodded and waved back just as reality dissolved around him and eventually reformed into the cockpit of the Gummi Ship.

"Ooh, I swear I don't think I'll _ever_ get used to that tingling feeling," Nick quipped once everyone was onboard.

"It takes a while to get used to it, trust me," Maylin giggled. "It took me months, honestly."

"All right, if we're all equipped, let's set sail!" Haruka proclaimed, sitting herself down in the captain's chair and starting up the Gummi Ship. "To the next world!"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Signal Beacon  
** Strength: 4  
Magic: 3  
Ability: Air Combo Plus  
 _A keyblade representing the brightest minds of Beacon Academy. Powers up magic and adds an extra hit to your aerial combo._

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: Okay, now we're flying close to... a tower.

Maylin: I think it's just part of the city.

Haruka: According to the locals, it's one of many around the world that regulates the flow of energy.

Maylin: So, did mankind's dream of infinite energy actually come true?

Nick: ...hey, HEY! I see you over there! Stop your posturing and let her go!

Maylin: Wow, Nick really went to her defense quickly. I wonder why...

Haruka: What is it about that girl?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Chase the Numbers"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	3. Chase the Numbers

"Um, are my eyes deceiving me, or are we approaching an _asteroid field_?!" Nick exclaimed as the Gummi Ship continued to coast through the Lanes Between, eventually coming closer and closer to the aforementioned field of space rocks.

"And, for that matter, are they flying _straight at us?!_ " Maylin shouted.

Haruka, expecting this exchange, just smiled. "I think they are. You know what time it is, Maylin?"

Suddenly, Maylin became extremely excited. "Oh, _hell_ yes I do!"

Nick gaped at Maylin as if she'd lost her mind. "Um, pardon me if I sound odd, but _what exactly_ is so exciting about space rocks that could squash us?!"

Haruka just flipped a case on the control panel open. "Oh, just... well, _this_."

With much pageantry, Haruka slammed her fist down on the bright red button. In response, the Gummi Ship seemed to transform, its wings becoming much more streamlined and acquiring claw-like protrusions surrounding the thrusters.

"Ready to rocket?" Haruka proclaimed. "Because we're going for a ride!"

With that, the Gummi Ship thundered forward, much faster than it had been on the recent trips, using surprising agility to easily weave through the meteors that were bombarding them from all sides. For any they couldn't dodge in time, Haruka just used the now-improved lasers to blast away any meteors that got too close without sacrificing their speed.

"Like it?" Haruka asked Nick, who appeared pretty star-struck by this new change. "This is what we call the Gummi Ship's 'Highwind Mode', when we need agility and maneuverability to make it through crazy crap like this."

Heartless ships flew in from all angles, attempting to flank the Gummi Ship, but it simply sped by most of them, while those that dared venture closer were zapped by the lasers.

"Hey, there it is! New world, dead ahead!" Maylin exclaimed, pointing to the large structure ahead that represented one of the many worlds the trio would be journeying to. "What kind of weird tower is that?"

"Well, we won't find out if we just keep floating through space, right?" Haruka answered. "Prepare for landing, everybody."

"What _other_ forms does this thing have?" Nick asked as the Gummi Ship reverted to its standard configuration.

"Oh, you'll see, Nick," Haruka replied. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise too early, right?"

"Point," Nick stated as the Gummi Ship parked itself right in front of the new world.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger ** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** A strange future awaits as the trio make their next stop in an extremely advanced world that supplies infinite energy to the world thanks to the discovery of a fourth dimensional axis. However, not everything in this future is sunshine and rainbows. A strange conspiracy linking back to New Tesla, the founder of this new world, the imminent danger of the illegal Coils, and the Heartless threat don't seem to mix well. Also, our keyblade wielders may finally get some information about the hooded figure that accosted them back in Beacon Academy...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights. I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** All right, this time we're exploring _Dimension W_ , one of my favorite recent shows. We're going by the anime since it's the only one I've seen of Dimension W at the moment. Also, Mira is my waifu. Just figured I'd get that out there. (KYOMA STOP CALLING HER A PIECE OF JUNK DAMN YOU)

* * *

Episode 3: Chase the Numbers

As the teleporters brought the trio down to this new world, Nick was easily impressed by the large tower that could be seen no matter where in this city you were.

"That's pretty impressive, isn't it?" Nick quipped.

"It looks like we landed somewhere in the future," Haruka noted, gazing at her surroundings as she always did. This was a world she hadn't been to before, after all. "Everything's so high-tech."

"Well, how about we scout around and see what we run into?" Maylin replied. "If we found our way here, that no doubt means the Heartless are here, too."

"And let's not forget about that hooded freak," Nick stated, recalling the strange hooded figure with a keyblade.

"Ooh, just wait until I get my hands on that bitch," Maylin growled. "I'll teach her to mock me!"

"How about we actually save that anger until we find her?" Haruka quipped. "For now, let's get moving."

And so, the trio descended into the city, hoping to find some answers about where they were.

Soon enough, the picture came together. This world was one where mankind's dream of free, infinite energy had come true, thanks to the discovery of a fourth dimensional axis, known as Dimension W. New Tesla Energy, the discoverer of this axis, created devices known as Coils to safely draw out the energy of Dimension W and harness it to power, well, pretty much everything. However, there were still problems due to illegal Coils, which put out more power and were untraceable, but also incredibly unstable. Nick was glad he hadn't been able to imagine what would happen if an unstable Coil broke and allowed Dimension W energies to slip into this universe unchecked, considering some of the horror stories he'd heard from the people here.

After a couple hours of searching, night had fallen on the city around Tower 47, which was one of the dozens of towers built around the planet to help New Tesla Energy harness the power of Dimension W, collectively known as the World System.

"I'm surprised the Heartless haven't shown up yet," Maylin noted.

"Let's just enjoy this reprieve while we can," Nick replied, letting Kingdom Key rest on his shoulders. "I'm sure they'll be popping up any moment."

Almost as if something had been waiting for Nick to say that, a loud scream erupted from one of the nearby rooftops.

"You _had_ to say it, Nick," Maylin groaned, summoning Spellbinder to her hand.

The trio began to hop across the roofs towards the source of the disturbance.

"H-hey, let me go!" Mira shouted, trying to untangle herself from the wires that were constricting her body.

"Forget it," Kyoma shot back. "Not even heavy machinery can cut these wires. Now hand over that illegal coil, _now_."

"You don't get it! If I don't get back to my father, he could die!" Mira exclaimed.

"Do I look like I care?" Kyoma snapped.

"HEY!"

Kyoma had to take a step back as Nick leaped onto the scene and slashed at the wires with the Kingdom Key, snapping them as easily as cutting bread.

"You might want to listen to the lady," Nick growled.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Kyoma shot back. "Her accomplice?"

"On the contrary," Nick challenged, holding Kingdom Key aloft. "I'm just your average joe shmuck who doesn't tolerate someone like you manhandling an innocent girl. So either back off now, or I kick your ass right off of this roof. What's it gonna be?"

Kyoma just growled and gathered his throwing spikes between his fingers in a way that made Maylin think of Wolverine.

"All right, then," Nick proclaimed, readying his weapon. "You made your choice."

Deciding not to waste any time with talking, Nick charged forward, swinging the Kingdom Key out to counter a swipe from Kyoma's makeshift claws.

Watching Kyoma's movements closely, Nick dodged through each strike before attacking with an overhead chop that made Kyoma stumble back.

Seeing his chance, Nick darted into close range and began to attack, landing at least three swings before finishing with an overhead strike, causing Kyoma to stumble to his knees.

"All right, I think that's all we need," Nick quipped. "Maylin! Get her out of those wires so we can beat it!"

"Roger that, fearless leader!" Maylin quipped, carefully swinging Spellbinder to cut the wires constricting Mira.

"Let's get out of here!" Haruka exclaimed, causing Nick to dash away from the stunned Kyoma so he could take Mira's hand and lead her away from the scene.

Once they had all deemed themselves far enough away from Kyoma, the trio settled down in a darkened alleyway, hopefully out of Kyoma's sight.

"Okay, maybe this place isn't as up and up as I first thought," Maylin quipped, letting Mira stand on her own. "What was THAT all about?!"

"Whatever that was, it's a good thing we got there in time," Haruka noted. "That guy looked like he was one step from tearing her to shreds."

"Is everything okay?" Nick asked, catching Mira's attention.

"Thank you for saving me," Mira answered, bowing slightly. "My name's Mira Yurizaki. I was trying to get back to my father. He needs my help!"

"And on your way back, you got caught by that creep, right?" Maylin quipped.

"We'll take you to your dad," Nick answered. "It's the least we can do."

Nick suddenly found himself blushing as Mira leaped over to hug him.

"Thank you so much," Mira stated.

"I-It's no problem," Nick stammered, glancing back to see Maylin giggling at the sight. _Really?_

"Let's all stay in a tight formation," Haruka proclaimed. "I'm not sure if that weirdo's gonna follow us."

With that, the group headed off, following Mira's directions so they could find where she and her father, Dr. Shido Yurizaki, were currently holed up.

About halfway there, however...

"Hey, what's that?" Mira asked, pointing at a strange shadow ahead of the group. It eventually formed into a pair of odd-looking Heartless, which appeared to be cyborg armor held together by nothing but masses of darkness. On their chest plates was some kind of Coil-like device.

"Oh, fantastic, now they're made of _metal_ ," Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder to her hands.

"Let's just get rid of them, then," Haruka quipped, summoning Divine Rose.

"Mira, you may want to stand back," Nick stated, summoning the Kingdom Key and slashing it through the air as one of the Coilborgs leapt at him, only for it to be sent stumbling back.

The Coilborg quickly righted itself before attempting a feint to catch Nick off guard, only to be met with a fireball to the face, courtesy of Maylin.

"Yeah, watch those metal paws, buster," Maylin quipped.

Haruka leapt over Maylin's shoulders as more Coilborgs spawned alongside a few Shadows and Soldiers, swinging Divine Rose with incredible force and easily dispatching a fair few of them.

However, it seemed that, once again, more Heartless would spawn for every one that was destroyed.

"Hey, Nick, are you thinking what I am?" Haruka asked.

"You'd better believe it," Nick replied as he and Haruka got into position, letting the Coilborgs and Soldiers get closer.

Once the Heartless thought they had them cornered, Nick and Haruka spun around and sliced through the empty air, creating a cutting light circle around them that sent the swarm flying in many directions.

Nick and Haruka immediately went to work before the Coilborgs could pick themselves up, attacking with such force that their swings actually created blades of light to cut down whatever their keyblades hit.

After a while of this, Nick and Haruka held their keyblades to the sky, charging them with energy before slamming them down to the ground, creating a shockwave that decimated the rest of the swarm.

"Owned," Haruka giggled.

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted as more Coilborgs appeared.

"This is just _stupid,_ " Nick growled. "How many more are going to pop up before they leave us alone?!"

Deciding to try some magic out, Nick concentrated, causing Kingdom Key to disappear and Signal Beacon to appear in his hand.

Nick slashed at a Coilborg to put distance between them before unleashing a Fire spell, the fireball larger and more powerful thanks to Signal Beacon's magic-enhancing qualities. The Fire spell roared through the empty air and exploded on contact with the Coilborg, destroying it instantly.

"Oh, _hell_ yes!" Nick exclaimed.

Maylin attempted to swing at another Coilborg, but it leaped over her head and rushed straight for Mira.

Maylin attempted to warn Mira of the incoming attack, but her warning fell dead as Mira wound up and threw a wicked right hook, destroying the Coilborg with one strike.

Naturally, Maylin was quite impressed. " _Damn_ , she's strong."

"Well, she's an android," Haruka quipped, catching Mira's attention. "She was probably built with that strength."

"H-How did you know I'm an android?" Mira wondered, suddenly a little defensive.

"I can tell," Haruka answered. "I'm pretty perceptive about things, even if someone's trying to hide it. I guess you could call it instinct."

"Revelations _later_ , Haruka! They're still popping up!" Maylin shouted, unleashing a Thunder spell that blew through a cluster of Coilborgs.

Mira lashed out multiple times, each punch or kick destroying any Coilborg that tried to attack.

"All right, I've had enough," Maylin growled. "Nick, let's clean house!"

"You know it," Nick replied, switching back to the Kingdom Key and getting into position.

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as more Coilborgs surrounded them. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Kingdom Key above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Coilborgs flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging more Coilborgs. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Coilborgs while Nick slammed Kingdom Key into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Heartless as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnet spell to gather the Coilborg horde together. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive the Kingdom Key down in a final attack that spiked the Coilborgs down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

"And that's how _we_ clean house," Maylin giggled. " _Fear_ the might of Element Storm!"

"Did you _actually_ give it a name, Maylin?" Haruka sighed, used to her partner's antics by now.

"Hey, naming your combination gives it its own identity, right?" Maylin replied.

"Listen, girls, I don't think we have time to be talking," Nick quipped. "We've gotta find Doctor Yurizaki before New Tesla does!"

And with that, the group continued their trek, hoping to find their target before he was caught by New Tesla agents, or worse, the Heartless.

Unfortunately, when the trio had returned to the apartment that Mira had specified, it was already crawling with many of New Tesla's agents.

"Oh, no," Mira gasped.

"Jeez, they brought the cavalry," Maylin quipped. "Is Dr. Yurizaki really that important to them?"

"All right, Doctor Yurizaki, we know you're there," Albert Schuman proclaimed, speaking through a megaphone. "Please just come quietly and we won't have to cause any more trouble."

"Trouble?!" Shido growled, looking out from his higher floor. "Don't make me laugh. You bastards took everything away from me, and you honestly expect me to come quietly?!"

"We just want to help, doctor," Albert replied.

"I'm done speaking to you," Shido shot back.

One of the soldiers turned around and spotted Mira standing nearby. "Hey, isn't that the doctor's daughter?!" the agent gasped.

Albert, now curious, took a couple steps forward, but that was as far as he got before Nick swiftly placed himself in front of Mira, the Kingdom Key ready for battle.

"Don't _even_ think about it," Nick challenged. "You're going through _me_ first."

Albert just smiled. "Well, if that's the way you want it..."

Albert leaped into the air with tiger-like agility, aiming a flying kick for Nick's face, only to be deflected with a quick swipe of the keyblade.

"Hmmm... interesting," Albert quipped. "And what strange weapon would that be?"

"Oh, it's just a little thing called _none of your damn business!_ " Nick taunted, swinging three times before finishing with an overhead strike.

"Move in, soldiers!" one of the agents shouted, and every one of them trained their weapons on Nick, moving in closer.

Just as Nick was pondering what to do about this particular pickle, he noticed that the tip of his keyblade was glowing with a subtle red light. His curiosity piqued, Nick swung three times, each slash forcing an agent to back away slightly.

For the finisher, Nick swung the Kingdom Key vertically upwards above him, and this motion created an explosion of ruby-colored magic all around him, the blast itself looking like a crystalline lattice barrier. The sheer magical force of the attack blasted all of Albert's agents backwards, sending them reeling.

"Whoa, _awesome!_ " Maylin exclaimed.

 _Sweet,_ Nick thought. _I'm calling this one... "Ripple Drive". Sounds cool. Anyways, back to business._

"Anyone _else_ want a taste?!" Nick challenged.

"Found you!"

Nick spun around and noticed that Kyoma had just made his own appearance, and Nick didn't have to look at Kyoma to know that he was angry.

"I've got a bone to pick with you," Kyoma growled.

"Listen, asshole, this _really_ isn't the time, so maybe if you could just..."

Nick's rant fell on deaf ears, as a brilliant flash of green light distracted everybody in the vicinity. Nick was the first to look up and notice that the light was coming from Shido, who was holding a strange device in his hand that the light was coming from.

"What the hell?!" Maylin exclaimed. "What's with the light show?!"

"No, father, you can't do this!" Mira shouted, a few tears falling from her eyes.

"THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE BEGINNING!" Shido exclaimed, the device in his hand sparkling and shooting black electricity out from it.

 _Mira, the rest... is up to you,_ was the last thought of Shido Yurizaki as the device created a vortex that sucked him in along with a large chunk of the apartment building.

Before anyone on the scene could react, an immense explosion resounded, destroying the apartment and causing a green shockwave to ripple outwards from where Shido had activated the device, shattering windows and causing damage across the city.

"Hold on, Nick!" Maylin exclaimed, already on her feet before the shockwave even appeared.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! REFLECT!"

* * *

"Is... is it over?"

Nick was the first to open his eyes and wonder if he was okay. When his sight cleared enough, he noticed Maylin standing protectively in front of him, Haruka, and an unconscious Mira, holding Spellbinder up to create a magical barrier. It was cracked in many places, no doubt due to absorbing the force from that strange shockwave, but everyone appeared to be okay.

"Well, we're not dead. That's a start," Haruka sighed.

"Thank the _stars_ I asked the Oracle to teach me Reflect magic," Maylin giggled, waving Spellbinder to dispel the Reflect barrier now that they were safe. "Never thought it would come in so handy."

Nick looked back at Mira; she was lying on the ground, completely unresponsive.

"Sure enough, she was just another robot," Kyoma proclaimed, tapping the downed Mira with his foot. "When the coil burns out, they're done."

Kyoma reached down to hoist Mira onto his shoulders. "Don't want to leave anything for Al, though. Oh, well. She's probably worth _some_ cash, at least."

This statement didn't sit too well with Nick, who immediately dashed in front of Kyoma and brandished the Kingdom Key.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?!" Nick shouted.

"Easy, kid, I'm not here to fight with you again," Kyoma replied. "I'm taking her back to Mary's so I can figure out who she belongs to."

"You touch even one hair on her head, and I will _personally_ lay the smack down on your sorry face," Nick growled.

"Look, if you want to do something with her, then be my guest," Kyoma groaned. "At least let me reactivate her before you go flying off the handle."

Nick sighed, lowering the Kingdom Key. "Fine. But remember, Kyoma, _one hair..._ "

"Wow, Nick's being pretty protective of Mira," Haruka quipped. "I wonder why..."

"I think he _likes_ her..." Maylin giggled.

"But we've barely known her! We've only been on this world for barely even two hours!" Haruka exclaimed. "Don't you start playing matchmaker now!"

* * *

"Really, Kyoma?" Mary proclaimed. "I send you out to collect illegal coils, and _this_ is what you bring back?"

"Hey, it's just a souvenir," Kyoma admitted, not bothering to look at the seething Nick.

"Have you figured out anything, Koroogi?" Mary asked her assistant.

"Honestly, I'm surprised," Koroogi answered, examining Mira from his perch. "To think that our friend here would be stupid enough to believe this magnificent specimen belongs to any ordinary Collector!"

Koroogi jumped down from his perch, placing a new coil into the empty slot on Mira's chest. Her original coil had burned out along with every other piece of technology around the area where Dr. Yurizaki had activated his strange device.

"And click," Koroogi laughed, activating Mira's new coil.

"Who said you could turn it on?!" Mary exclaimed. "Won't it send information to New Tesla?!"

"Not if it's an official coil used legally," Koroogi explained.

"All right, can you all just cut to the chase?" Nick proclaimed, swinging Kingdom Key in frustration. "Is she going to be all right?!"

In response, Mira opened her eyes and sat up, the first thing she noticed was that she had been stripped down to her undergarments.

"Hey, is this a good idea?" Kyoma growled. "Wouldn't it be better to just turn her back off?"

"I'm _warning you_ , Kyoma..." Nick shot back. "Don't make me angry again."

Mira immediately squeaked in fright and slapped Kyoma across the face.

"Where am I? What's going on?! _What did you do with my clothes?!_ " Mira shouted.

"Thanks for that," Kyoma groaned. "Just be a good little robot and switch off the attitude."

"Will you stop calling me a robot?!" Mira retaliated. "I'm a _girl_ , thank you very _much_!"

"Wow, she's not kidding," Mary quipped. "It's like a real person's in there."

"The only one who knows why that is would be her creator," Koroogi noted.

"Doctor Yurizaki? I'd love to hear that," Mary stated.

Mira's eyes immediately widened at the mention of her father. Nick, Maylin and Haruka were also suddenly on edge, considering they'd seen exactly what had happened to Dr. Yurizaki earlier.

"Please... just let me help you," Mira sighed, catching everyone's attention. "I'll do anything you say if you let me help you collect illegal coils. It's something I really need to do!"

"You're telling me that _you_ want to be a Collector?" Mary quipped.

"Yes," Mira answered. "Because of something my father said to me. 'When I die, follow the illegal coils.'"

"You're talking about Dr. Yurizaki, right?" Haruka asked.

Mira nodded. "He told me that if I saw a pillar of green light, I would know he was no longer of this world."

"It really makes you wonder just what he intended with that little stunt he pulled," Maylin wondered.

"And what about Seira? Yurizaki's wife?" Kyoma asked. "Where's she?"

Mira seemed hesitant to answer that for a few seconds. "She was murdered. It happened two years ago, on the day I was born."

Mira's antenna hairclips moved, and a strange video began to play on the screens around the room. It was of a young woman and her daughter, happily discussing what to name the young girl's "big sister". After a beat, three strange figures broke in to the house, but Mary stomped her foot before the video could get to that point.

"Get that off of the screen!" Mary shouted.

"It was New Tesla," Kyoma quipped. "I recognized one of those men from my training exercises."

"If that's true, this is much bigger than we thought," Mary admitted.

"So, if those hoods _were_ from New Tesla..." Maylin started before gasping at the horrible realization. "...then that means... the world's biggest corporation actually killed the world's best robot engineer _and_ her daughter!"

"And that means they also basically killed their founder _and_ the father of the coils," Haruka noted. "Why would they stoop so low? What kind of secret were they trying to cover up?"

"And what does it have to do with Mira?" Nick continued, helping Mira to her feet. "Why didn't Dr. Yurizaki make this information public, and why did he choose to go into hiding?"

Mary thought for a few more seconds. "All right, girl, you've got your wish. We'll put you to work."

Mira smiled brightly at this.

"However, Kyoma will be the one to supervise you," Mary stated.

"Are you serious?!" Kyoma proclaimed.

"She'll chase the illegal coils whether we want her to or not," Mary explained. "Better she be somewhere we can watch her and not running around. Kyoma, make sure you remember that if we get caught, that's game over. We can play innocent all we want, but our lives won't be worth crap."

"Why does it have to be me?" Kyoma groaned.

"You brought her here, so I believe that makes her your responsibility," Mary stated.

"Mary, was it?" Nick asked. "Do you mind if my friends and I tag along for a while? We've got our own business in this place, too, and if this mess is connected somehow, it may be the reason we're here."

"Just don't cause too much damage," Mary proclaimed.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Mira exclaimed.

"As a matter of fact, I have a mission for you," Mary stated.

* * *

"Whoa, look at this place!" Mira exclaimed. She and Kyoma were approaching the local art museum, with Nick, Maylin and Haruka bringing up the rear. Apparently, there was a huge crowd surrounding the museum. "I've never seen so many people in one place!"

Kyoma just grimaced and handed Mira a newspaper article. "A newspaper? Not your usual reading material," Mira teased.

Nick was the first to notice the article itself. _"Little is known about the mysterious thief Loser, who generally targets artwork,"_ Nick read. _"He broadcasts his heists by hijacking communication devices, and while the public adores him, he has never been successful."_

"Hey, maybe that's why he's called 'Loser'," Maylin quipped. "I'm willing to bet that some of these 'victims' might be working with him to perform these 'heists' as some kind of publicity stunt."

"If that's true, it would explain why he goes to all the trouble of broadcasting his thefts," Mira explained.

"But if he doesn't actually steal anything or hurt anyone, he's not really much of a criminal, is he?" Haruka noted. "So, why are we here, then?"

"I'm a Collector," Kyoma replied. "Whatever Loser is doing, I'm pretty damn sure that illegal coils are involved. I'm not interested in him, just his coils."

Kyoma handed Mira a bag filled with clothes. "Go get changed. They're from Mary."

Mira smiled and nodded, rushing into a nearby restroom to change her clothes.

"So, how much longer do we have to wait?" Maylin quipped.

"If the information we received is right, Loser should be showing up in about twenty minutes," Kyoma responded.

"Wonderful," Maylin groaned. "So we're stuck here."

"It's not _my_ fault you're so impatient, Maylin," Haruka giggled. "Good things come to those who wait, after all."

Kyoma suddenly leaped backwards, his throwing needles at the ready. To Nick, it was easy to see why, as a small horde of Coilborgs and Soldiers had spawned nearby.

"Oh, there we go! Something to pass the time!" Maylin laughed, summoning Spellbinder.

"Are they carrying illegal coils, too?" Kyoma proclaimed.

"Those aren't actually coils, dude," Nick shot back, readying Kingdom Key. "It's just a visual effect. Now, stand back and let us mop up!"

The three keyblade wielders immediately dashed into the fray, cutting down the Heartless one after another.

Nick intentionally let a group of the Coilborgs surround him before unleashing a Ripple Drive that destroyed all the Heartless around him.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, blasting a few Coilborgs with a Thunder spell.

Even Kyoma got into the action, using his throwing needles to pull a Coilborg closer before snap-kicking it into the ground.

Haruka backflipped over a Soldier's flying kick before throwing herself back into the Soldier's path, tearing through it with Divine Rose before it could even register.

"Well, that was fun," Haruka laughed.

"And at least there weren't so many this time," Maylin quipped. "Seriously, I'm getting sick of those hordes!"

"Okay, I'm ready!" Mira exclaimed, walking out of the restroom in a brand new outfit. The most noticeable new article was the cap she now wore to conceal her robotic antennas.

"Well? Is this a good look for me?" Mira giggled.

Maylin would have answered had she not noticed Nick's face going slightly red.

"Oh, wow, he's _blushing_!" Maylin laughed.

" _Really_ , Maylin?" Nick stammered. "Is this really the time to be teasing me?!"

"Hey, I think it's cute," Maylin replied. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, though. It's just so _adorable_ that you're practically crushing on her!"

Mira suddenly remembered something, turning towards Nick. "Oh, hey, I met someone in there," Mira stated. "I think they mentioned you."

"R-really?" Nick asked, still blushing slightly. "Who was it?"

"No clue," Mira responded. "I couldn't really see them through that black coat..."

Nick's blush faded instantly as Maylin and Haruka snapped to attention.

"Wait, black coat?" Maylin gasped. "Mira, was that person carrying a strange weapon?"

"I think so," Mira answered. "It looked like a key, actually, kind of like yours..."

"Ooh, not this bitch again!" Maylin growled. "What does she want now?!"

"My question is, why is she here as well?" Haruka wondered, balancing Divine Rose on her shoulder. "Is she leaping between worlds, too?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be anything good," Nick stated. "Mira, do you know which way that hooded guy went?"

Mira just shook her head. "She disappeared after she told me she was looking for you."

"Well, we'd better go find her before she causes any more damage," Nick replied. "Let's just say we've got some unfinished business to take care of."

"You and Kyoma just take care of this Loser shtick," Maylin stated. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

With that, Nick, Maylin and Haruka brandished their keyblades and rushed off to search for the hooded figure.

Thankfully, it didn't take the trio long at all to find the hooded figure in an empty space at the opposite end of the museum, as the crowd waiting for Loser's appearance were all watching the video screens on the other side.

"You again," Nick growled. "What's your damage, lady?!"

The figure just scoffed, summoning Darkgnaw into her right hand.

"What will it take to make you understand?" the figure proclaimed. "The power you wield is not something to be played with. You are far too young to understand the gifts that have been bestowed upon you."

"Yeah, well, I think we're still old enough to take care of ourselves," Haruka shot back.

"And how about you explain _that_?!" Maylin exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the figure's keyblade. "Where did you get _that_ abomination?!"

"It is none of your concern," the figure replied. "Maybe I should use something a little different to make you realize that the power of the keyblade is not meant for you."

The figure raised Darkgnaw before slamming it into the ground, creating a pool of darkness. The figure smirked under its hood before vanishing through a dark corridor.

Nick readied himself for a fight as the darkness converged into a very familiar-looking form.

"Wait a minute. Will?!" Nick exclaimed.

Indeed, it appeared as though Will Vandom, Keeper of the Heart, was standing there.

"Okay, something's not right here," Haruka noted. "I thought the Guardians were safe in Candracar..."

But when the look-alike lifted its head and opened its eyes, Nick knew that this wasn't really Will, because this doppelganger had the bright yellow eyes of the Heartless.

As if reading Nick's mind, Shadow Will extended her hand and summoned a keyblade to her hand. This keyblade's handle was white and surrounded by a smooth, circular, dark indigo guard. The top of the guard was decorated by three magenta diamonds, one at the base of the blade, and two on either side. The shaft of the blade was rather short and dark indigo in color. The head and teeth of the blade were comprised by a dark indigo cross with a magenta diamond set in three of its four arms, leaving the arm opposite the "teeth" bare. A white ring connected all four arms of the cross, and the keychain token was triangular and resembled the head of the blade, being dark indigo with three magenta triangles and one triangular gap decorating it.

Nick gripped the Kingdom Key tightly as Shadow Will charged, leaving a trail of pink energy behind her as she swung Innocent Sign downwards, sending a wave of pink lightning for the trio.

Maylin quickly threw up a Reflect barrier to minimize the impact before leaping over said barrier to swipe at Shadow Will.

The dark doppelganger simply ducked under the swing and fired another lightning bolt that sent Maylin crashing to the ground.

Haruka immediately went into action, swinging Divine Rose downwards and creating a powerful shockwave that forced Shadow Will to back away.

Maylin quickly recovered, readying another spell coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!" Maylin shouted, pointing Spellbinder straight for Shadow Will before firing off a spreadshot blast of icy magic that knocked Shadow Will back.

"That's what you get, jerk," Maylin growled.

Shadow Will shook off the attack and came back in for another strike, charging dark energy into her keyblade and swinging it, causing geysers of darkness to erupt all over the battlefield. This forced the trio to stay on the move.

Eventually, Nick found an opening in the onslaught and dashed in to attack, ending with a Ripple Drive that knocked Shadow Will into the air while also deflecting a few dark geysers that had appeared near him.

 _Oh, so Ripple Drive covers both offense AND defense,_ Nick thought. _Good to know._

The instant Shadow Will landed, she lashed out with Innocent Sign, catching Nick across the shoulder so she could move in and attack.

"Oh, no you don't!" Haruka shouted, spinning Divine Rose in her hands before slamming it into the ground, causing powerful tremors that disrupted Shadow Will's charge.

"You're mine!" Nick proclaimed, landing a few hits on Shadow Will before leaping to finish with a somersaulting spin attack.

"What's going on here?" Mira shouted, having just arrived on the scene, drawn by the tremors caused by Haruka. "I heard an earthquake, so I thought..."

"Mira, stay back!" Maylin shouted.

Shadow Will immediately caught on to this, turning around to rush straight for Mira.

Nick was quicker on the draw, placing himself squarely in front of Mira and using a Ripple Drive to knock Shadow Will away.

"Forget it, faker. Your fight's with me," Nick proclaimed.

Shadow Will just scoffed before raising her hand and unleashing a powerful field of electricity that blasted Nick away.

"Hey!" Mira shouted, dashing in and throwing a right hook that knocked Shadow Will back a few steps. The dark doppelganger just looked back up, a vicious smile highlighting her features as she raised Innocent Sign and brought it down, only for Mira to deflect the strike easily by shielding herself with her arms and pushing the strike away.

Mira took this time to dash over and help Nick to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I should be. Just got blindsided," Nick quipped. "Let's finish this nutball off."

"I'd be delighted," Mira giggled, shifting into a fighting stance as Shadow Will charged back into the fray.

Mira was the first to go on the offensive, blocking and parrying each slash from Innocent Sign until she could move in and throw a few punches to Shadow Will's stomach, dazing the dark copy. Mira immediately followed this up with a snap kick that rocked Shadow Will's head back.

"All right, Nick, she's all yours!" Mira exclaimed.

"Roger that!" Nick replied, moving in for the kill.

Shadow Will spun around just in time for Nick to attack. Shadow Will held up Innocent Sign in defense, but Nick just slashed through the keyblade, shattering it into pieces before thrusting the Kingdom Key straight through Shadow Will's chest.

The area was silent for a few seconds until Shadow Will fell limp and exploded into wisps of shadow, the broken pieces of her keyblade vanishing into nothingness.

"Well... that was... _something_ ," Maylin quipped. "Why did that freak create a dark copy of Will just to do her own dirty work?"

"I'm worried that this means miss hood may be connected to Candracar somehow," Haruka noted. "If she knows about the Guardians, we'd better pray the Oracle can keep the Veil closed so she can't get in."

"Man, Mira, you really know how to fight, huh?" Maylin laughed.

"I've learned a few things," Mira giggled.

Nick brushed some dust from his clothes as he looked back to the museum. "So, what's going on here?" Nick asked, now able to hear the loud cheers of the crowd.

"It seems like the show's on," Mira stated. "Kyoma already went in to chase after Loser, so I went around and located Loser's jamming devices so I could stop the broadcast."

"All right, let's go clean house," Nick quipped, holding Kingdom Key proudly, only to sputter slightly when Mira walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for saving me back there," Mira stated, smiling brightly.

Thankfully, Nick was saved from more awkward teasing from Maylin when he felt a strange flare of darkness from not too far off.

"What is it, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"I just felt a _really_ powerful flow of darkness," Nick replied. "It's coming from... inside the museum!"

"Holy crap, if that darkness is _that_ strong, the Heartless are probably already there! Kyoma and that Loser guy are gonna get swamped!" Maylin shouted.

"Well, then let's get a move on!" Haruka proclaimed, the four of them rushing to the closest door, only to find it locked.

"The door's locked! How do we get in?" Mira exclaimed.

"Let me," Nick replied, aiming the Kingdom Key for the door's lock, which shined with a white glow and disappeared, leaving the door to slide open. "All right! All in who's going in!"

And with that, they rushed into the museum, trying to find exactly which room that dark flare had originated from.

Meanwhile, in the main office room, the museum's Curator was watching all of the madness from Loser's escapades on the video monitors, clutching his fist tightly.

"I will _not_ be Loser's first victim!" Curator growled. "A stunt like this could ruin me!"

As if fate had been waiting for that, Loser himself dropped down from the hole he'd cut in the floor above, his drones scanning the statue at the opposite end of the room.

Before Loser could react, one of the Curator's android guards leaped at him, only for Loser to easily dodge the attack.

"Sorry, Loser, but tonight's show is canceled," Curator proclaimed. "This won't be suitable for television."

"These lovely ladies aren't powered by legal coils, I assume?" Loser asked. "I have a question, curator. What do you know about the Numbers?"

The Curator scoffed at the question.

"Stupid question, I know," Loser replied. "Their coils aren't glowing red because they're powered by illegal coils. Right, Collector?"

Kyoma dropped down from the hole, his weapons at the ready.

"Yeah, don't you know red's the color of death?" Kyoma growled. "You're holding top-quality collection material there."

"Ack, don't just stand there, kill him!" Curator shouted.

"As you wish, master," the androids proclaimed.

"Sorry, ladies, but that's _our_ moment!"

Kyoma and Loser looked upwards as Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mira dropped through the hole in the ceiling, already aiming their attacks for the android guards.

The androids moved with surprising agility, but Haruka was already attacking, swiping at the androids and keeping them busy so Maylin could attack with her spells.

After a few swings, the androids broke off to attack from both sides, only for Nick to stop them both with a Ripple Drive.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER! IN STEREO!" Maylin shouted, striking her Thunder coin twice in a row to fire off two consecutive Thunder spells, each bolt of electricity striking the androids directly in their coils, causing them to shut down and flop unceremoniously to the floor.

"N-no... defeated so easily..." Curator gasped, rushing over to try and restart the androids.

"Curator, this is the police! Open up!"

"Oh, no, the police! I can't have them find out I was using illegal coils!" Curator shouted. "I've got to get them out!"

Curator reached for one of the damaged coils, only for it to spark and start glowing with a red light.

"You don't know what you're doing, man!" Kyoma growled.

A loud screeching noise began to resound as the two androids lifted themselves up, glowing with an eerie red light.

"The dimensional shift's already starting to overflow!" Kyoma shouted as the androids broke apart and formed into an eerie, undulating dark red mass with multiple hands and eyes.

"Goodbye for now, Collector," Loser proclaimed, clutching his target in his robotic hand. "If by some chance you survive this, let's meet again."

"Wait!" Mira exclaimed. "I need to ask you something! Do you know where illegal coils are being made? Please, even if it's not much, it'll help me in the long run!"

"I can't help you there," Loser answered. "What you ask is forbidden knowledge. But I can tell you this: I _will_ have my revenge."

With that, Loser made his exit through the ceiling hole.

As the hands from the strange mass began to attach themselves to the Curator and drag him into it, tendrils of shadowy energy began to leak into the room, all flowing towards the dimensional mass.

"Oh, what now?" Kyoma growled.

"Oh, crap," Nick gasped. "That's the same surge of darkness I felt earlier, only this time it's a _lot_ stronger!"

"But that could only mean..." Maylin wondered. "Oh, hell! The Heartless are being attracted to the dimensional shift! They're merging with that mess!"

"That means we've got a _real_ problem on our hands now!" Haruka shouted, brandishing Divine Rose.

A flash of darkness filled the room, overlapping with the blood-red light of the dimensional shift. When the light cleared away, the combination had produced something grotesque.

Where the dimensional mass had been, now rested a monster the size of the room itself. Its body was vaguely insect-like, with five tendrils snaking out from its body and attaching to various spots on the walls. The face of the curator (or what was left of it) was engraved into the top of the monster's body, his eyes now the bright yellow eyes of the Heartless. From the creature's back sprouted four extra tendrils sprouting clawed hands. The entire creature sparked with electricity as it stared down the keyblade wielders, roaring in challenge as lightning began to flow through its tendrils into the body.

"Damn it," Kyoma groaned, readying his needles, only for Nick to wave his hand and stop him.

"Forget it, Kyoma," Nick responded. "This thing's beyond you."

"And let me guess, it's not beyond _you_?" Kyoma quipped.

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka raised their keyblades. "This one's kinda _our_ thing."

"CHARGE!" Maylin shouted, and all three split off in different directions just as the Electroleech lashed out with one of its many tendrils.

Maylin blocked a tendril slash and fired off a Blizzard spell towards the main body, knowing that her Thunder spell would do no good against this particular opponent.

Surprisingly, the spell didn't do as much damage as Maylin thought. In fact, the damage seemed to be disappearing.

"Okay, that's just not fair!" Maylin groaned, diving to the floor to avoid a wicked thunderbolt from the Electroleech's face.

Haruka dodged through the tendrils and slashed at the Electroleech's body a few times, only for the beast to once again quickly heal the damage it took.

"Guys, nothing's working!" Haruka shouted, jumping away from a double tendril smash. "It just keeps healing all the damage we do to it!"

Mira used her optical scanners on the Electroleech, hoping to find a weak point. After a few seconds, she realized something.

"It's the tendrils!" Mira exclaimed. "The tendrils are sucking all the energy from the room! That's how it keeps healing itself!"

"All right, so we've gotta cut down those tendrils first," Nick explained. "Let's get to work, everybody!"

Maylin was the first to attack, ducking and weaving through the numerous thunderbolts the Electroleech was throwing at them before leaping off an empty spot on the wall (most of it was covered by either the dimensional mass or the Electroleech's tendrils) to get enough height to attack one of the tendrils. With each slash from Spellbinder, the Electroleech thrashed wildly, indicating they were making progress.

Haruka, not one to be left out, stuck to the ground and slashed at the closest tendrils, finishing off with an overhead chop that severed two tendrils from the Electroleech's body.

"Show-off," Maylin teased.

"Hey, anything to get out of here quicker," Haruka stated. "I really don't like the look of this place."

While the girls were cutting the tendrils, Nick rushed in to attack the main body, and this time, the damage he inflicted stayed on the beast's body.

"Two down, three to go!" Haruka exclaimed just as Maylin made a final downward slash that severed the tendril she'd been concentrating on. "Make that _three_ down, _two_ to go."

The Electroleech roared in defiance, its eyes opening fully to unleash a bolt of lightning that ripped through the museum floor, the Electroleech turning its body back and forth to swing the bolt around to keep the keyblade wielders away from it.

"Sorry, bug boy, but you'll have to do better than _that_ to keep me away!" Maylin shouted, firing off another Blizzard spell to counter a lightning ball that the Electroleech was now hurling.

Nick hopped off of Maylin's shoulders to slash at a tendril that was above the Electroleech's head, only to be thrown back by a point-blank lightning blast.

Mira rushed in to catch Nick as he fell. "You okay?"

"Wasn't expecting that," Nick quipped. "Thanks for saving my bacon again."

"It's no problem!" Mira laughed.

Back on solid ground, Nick turned his attention back to the Electroleech, rushing in to slash at its prone body and finishing off with a Ripple Drive.

"I think we're almost done here, girls!" Nick exclaimed. "Just gotta cut those last two tendrils and we can finish this thing off!"

Maylin and Haruka nodded to each other before throwing their keyblades for the remaining tendrils, the two blades spinning through the air to strike the tendrils. Before they could hit the walls, however, Maylin and Haruka called their keyblades back to their hands before throwing them again, repeating the motions for about six throws. One final throw, this time with greater force, finally did the needed damage and severed both of the remaining tendrils, causing the Electroleech to screech in agony.

Before Nick could move in for the final blow, however, the Electroleech began to thrash like crazy, throwing thunderbolts all over the room and giving the keyblade trio no room to get closer.

"Okay, this needs to stop!" Haruka shouted.

Just then, Mira put her hands up to shield herself and rushed forward, powering through the lightning barrage and tanking any damage she could, knowing this battle was now riding on her.

The instant Mira was close enough, she wound up and threw her now famous right hook into the Electroleech's body, dazing it instantly and causing the lightning barrage to cease.

Nick didn't need another tell, running over before anything else could stop him. Just as the Electroleech began to pick itself up, Nick lashed out with the finishing blow, a powerful cross-slash straight through the creature's body.

Nick and Mira retreated to safety as the Electroleech thrashed about before going limp and falling flat on its face, dissolving into nothingness.

"And game," Nick proclaimed.

"Way to go, _Mira_!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Aw, it was nothing," Mira laughed. "Whatever I can do to help."

Another bright flash caused everyone to tense up, but Nick was the first to pinpoint the source; the Angels of Black and White Wings statue that Loser had targeted was glowing.

And within its parts, Nick noticed a keyhole forming.

"That's my cue," Nick stated, aiming the Kingdom Key for the keyhole. A bright beam of light shot from the keyblade's teeth and into the keyhole, sealing it with a loud click. Once the keyhole disappeared, the statue returned to its normal state.

"Okay, so if we're done, we should probably beat it before New Tesla gets here," Haruka proclaimed. "No doubt they'll be swarming this place soon enough."

"Good idea! Let's get the heck out of dodge, people!" Maylin exclaimed.

* * *

The next morning, at Kyoma's 'station', Nick and the girls were talking to Mira.

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Mira asked.

"We've got places to be, pretty much," Nick explained. "Such is the life of a keyblade wielder."

"Well, come back anytime!" Mira proclaimed, leaping over to hug Nick. "We'd be glad to have you!"

"I'll definitely take you up on that," Nick replied, returning Mira's embrace. "Don't let Kyoma get to you, okay? I know he can be quite a handful."

"Don't worry, I can handle him," Mira laughed. "Oh! I convinced Kyoma to let me get something for you. Here!"

Mira handed Nick a cute keychain that resembled her antenna. Knowing what this keychain was for, Nick reached out to receive it from Mira and attach it to the Kingdom Key. Just like it had in Beacon Academy, the Kingdom Key transformed into a new keyblade. The handle was square-shaped and made of metal, each corner ending in a coil-like shape, the hilt resembled Tower 47 itself with a Coil embedded in the center, the blade was three long shafts resembling Kyoma's throwing needles, and the teeth were three blades resembling Mira's antennas. The name _World System_ ran through Nick's head.

"I hope it helps you," Mira stated.

"Oh, it _definitely_ will," Nick quipped, swinging World System a few times to get the hang of the new weapon.

"Hey, Nick? What exactly are you looking for?" Mira wondered.

"My friends," Nick answered. "They were all scattered when I lost my world. And apparently, that hooded nut we fought at the museum might have something to do with it."

"Don't worry, you'll find them," Mira quipped, hugging Nick again. "I know you will."

"Thanks for the confidence, Mira," Nick replied. "Well, we should probably get going now."

"Keep in touch!" Mira exclaimed.

"You know it," Nick stated with a grin as Haruka activated the transporters to take them back to the Gummi Ship.

"Well, I think Nick's got an admirer," Maylin teased, causing Nick to blush again.

"Maylin, _seriously_?!" Nick exclaimed, glad that Maylin had at least waited until they were back on the Gummi Ship.

"Admit it, you were blushing _hard_ when she hugged you! Don't deny it!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Hey, any guy in their right mind would whenever they get hugged by a cute girl," Haruka countered. "It's not really an exclusive thing."

Maylin just laughed as the Gummi Ship rumbled to life, flying off through the Lanes Between in pursuit of the next world.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **World System  
** Strength: 9  
Magic: 2  
Ability: MP Rage  
 _A keyblade representing the future of infinite energy. Strength is increased exponentially, and MP is restored relative to how much damage you take._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Okay, am I seeing things, or did we just fly straight into the television studio from hell?!

Haruka: I think it looks cool.

Maylin: That's because you like weird things, doof!

Nick: My question is, where do all these televisions lead? Looks like this one took us to a nightmare!

Haruka: Wait a minute, something's not right. I'm sensing _great_ darkness coming from somewhere in this world.

Maylin: Okay, that's all the convincing I need to check it out! Let's go, fellow keyblade wielders!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Pursue the Truth"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	4. Pursue the Truth

"Okay, I've seen some _weird_ things on this trip, but I think _this_ is top spot contender material," Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship entered a large nebula and came face to ship with a gigantic Heartless pirate ship.

"I don't think it's gonna let us by without a fight," Maylin stated.

"Well, then let's give it a fight," Haruka proclaimed, hitting the Big Red Button™ and transforming the Gummi Ship into its Highwind Mode. In response, the pirate ship unfolded its many cannons and prepared to open fire.

The instant a large cannon ball of darkness was close enough, the Gummi Ship rocketed off, evading the shot easily and zooming around to flank the pirate ship.

With every pass the Gummi Ship made around the pirate vessel, Haruka would quickly shoot down each of the pirate ship's defenses, dodging through the trickier shots.

After a long and protracted battle, the pirate ship had been reduced to its sails and main body, completely defenseless.

"Well, what do you say, Nick?" Haruka asked. "You want to deliver the finishing blow?"

"I'd be delighted," Nick quipped, reaching for the laser controls and aiming precisely for the final vulnerable spot on the enemy, its front hull.

"Open wide and say good night!" Nick shouted, firing off a barrage of lasers that ripped through the pirate ship's hull and caused it to go ablaze, the burned and punctured sails no longer able to hold it aloft. The ship continued to explode even as it fell into the dark void of the Lanes Between.

"Victory!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Yeah, that was interesting," Nick quipped.

"New world, dead ahead!" Haruka proclaimed, pointing towards an approaching structure out in the void.

"Wait, why does it look like the television studio from hell?" Maylin wondered.

"Let's find out, then. Prepare for landing!" Haruka exclaimed.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** A rescue mission is the order of the day when our keyblade-wielding trio arrive at their next destination, the Midnight Channel. A bad situation involving a kidnapped six-year-old girl and a psychopathic serial killer can only be made worse if the Heartless get involved. And what plots does our mysterious council of villains have in store?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** There _will_ be spoilers for _Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4_ , the game we're going to today, due to the area of the Midnight Channel this world takes place in. Read with caution if you don't want to be spoiled.

* * *

Episode 4: Pursue the Truth

Once the glow of the transporters faded, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka did what they always did upon entering a new world and assessed their surroundings. Maylin's description of "the television studio from hell" seemed very apt; multiple television sets were scattered around this studio area, some hanging from ceilings, some distorted to prevent entry, and even a few stacks of them in places.

"This is weird," Maylin quipped. "Does this place even _operate_ on the laws of our world?!"

"Maylin, you should know by now, especially considering the places _we've_ been to," Haruka responded, lazily swinging Divine Rose around herself.

"My question is, where do you think we should go?" Nick asked. "Some of these TVs look like entrances to somewhere."

Maylin looked at one of the larger sets, which displayed an image of fluffy clouds, almost as if representing heaven.

"Hey, hey, there's some powerful darkness coming from that set," Maylin growled. "Seems like that might be where the trouble is."

"Well, then let's go check it out," Nick replied.

The three walked towards the TV in question, only for it to pull them into its screen when they were close enough.

Out on the other side of the TV, the trio found themselves in what appeared to be a golden palace surrounded by fluffy clouds.

"What the heck is all _this_?" Haruka wondered. "Why does it look like we died and went to heaven?"

"And what's up with all this _fog_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "I can barely see five feet ahead of me!"

"I wonder if it has something to do with this world," Nick quipped, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands. "No matter which way I look at the fog, I sense darkness, too."

"Makes me wonder what kind of twisted mind came up with this place," Maylin groaned, summoning Spellbinder. "Well, let's stop wasting time and investigate!"

With that, the trio dashed off through the palace, unaware of the fact that they were being watched from all sides by strange, malevolent presences.

Maylin was the first to skid to a stop when a pool of darkness opened up in front of the trio's path, spawning a group of Shadows, Soldiers, and a couple new Heartless who looked like church preachers wielding cross-shaped blades.

"Okay, some religious nut's gonna be offended by that," Maylin quipped.

"Stop commenting on the Heartless that want you dead, Maylin!" Haruka shouted, leaping in to attack.

Nick jumped into the fray, spinning around one of the Preachers with a Vortex before slamming it into a nearby wall. A Soldier leapt at him from behind, but Nick quickly swung the Kingdom Key and dispatched it no problem. About five Preachers approached him, but Nick quickly dispatched them all with a Ripple Drive.

Haruka let a group of Shadows surround her before slamming Divine Rose to the ground, this action creating a radial pink shockwave that destroyed all the Shadows around her.

One of the Preachers swung its cross blades overhead, only to be met with the business end of Spellbinder, a vertical slice knocking it back.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, striking a spell coin and shooting a lightning bolt at the Preacher. It simply raised its cross blades and absorbed the bolt before firing it straight back at Maylin.

"Oh, crap! Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!" Maylin proclaimed, quickly activating another spell coin and creating a spherical shield of wind around her. The thunderbolt crashed into the Aero barrier and dissipated harmlessly.

"Okay, so they're immune to magic," Maylin growled. "Guess we do this old-fashioned."

Haruka answered by leaping in and slamming Divine Rose down, splitting the Preacher in half.

"There, problem solved," Haruka giggled.

No sooner had Haruka said that than a Large Body spawned, a rather large Heartless with an equally gigantic belly.

"Oh, crap, not these things!" Maylin growled.

"Large Bodies repel all frontal attacks," Haruka explained to Nick, as she had dealt with these particular Heartless many times. "You gotta go for the backstab to beat these blobs!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Nick replied, slashing through another Preacher. As it dissipated, Nick noticed an Ability Crystal falling from its remains. Scooping it up on his way to attack the Large Body, Nick dodged around a slow-moving punch to reach its back.

Nick didn't waste a second in attacking, landing a few strikes before feeling the Ability Crystal shatter and surround him with light. Time seemed to slow down for Nick as he felt a new power course through him.

Time for Nick resumed as he brought the Kingdom Key high above his head, then smashed it into the ground so hard that the impact created a bubble of crimson electricity around him. Five Heartless that had wandered too close, along with the Large Body he was attacking, were blasted by the attack and put into a stunned state.

"Hey, I think they're stunned! Mop up while they're out of it!" Nick shouted.

"Roger!" Maylin replied, attempting another Thunder spell and finding her mark, destroying the Large Body and two of the stunned Preachers, leaving Haruka to clean up the last of them with a few heavy swings.

"That was cool!" Maylin quipped. "What're ya gonna call _that_ one?"

"Stun Impact," Nick responded. "Good defensive move, in my opinion."

"Hey, look!" Haruka exclaimed. "I see a bunch of people up ahead."

"What would anyone be _doing_ in this psycho house?" Maylin wondered. "Aside from us, of course, seeing as how it's our _job_ , right?"

"Let's go check it out," Nick replied. "We're not gonna get _anywhere_ by just standing around."

And so, the trio dashed off in the direction of the unknown group.

"Hey, senpai, someone's approaching fast," Rise Kujikawa noted, adjusting Himiko's visor to check out the signal that was rapidly getting closer to them.

"Don't tell me it's another one of those stupid Shadows..." Kanji Tatsumi growled.

"No, they're human, like us," Rise answered, double-checking her visor to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "And that's the part I'm confused about."

The group stayed on their guard, still unsure of what other anomalies this world would throw at them.

"Hey, whoever you are, we mean no harm, promise!" Maylin exclaimed as they reached the large, circular area the Investigation Team had stopped at.

"Yeah, like _that's_ the right thing to say to a bunch of people who probably fought their way through this nuthouse," Haruka quipped. "They're all on edge with all the strange fog and shadows, and you seriously expect them to not jump on us?"

"Well, _excuse_ me for trying to play peacemaker before a misunderstanding happens!" Maylin shot back. "That's what I usually do!"

"And if you remember correctly, last time we tried that, they just ran roughshod over us anyway!" Haruka exclaimed. "The Reapers don't give a crap what you are, you know!"

"Um... is everything okay?" Chie Satonaka asked.

"I usually just let them get it out of their systems," Nick replied, resting the Kingdom Key on his shoulder as he took a few steps closer. "But, on to why we're here. Do any of you know what this crazy place is?"

"This is the Midnight Channel!" Teddie exclaimed (Nick found it kinda funny that a _bear costume_ was talking to him, but hey, stranger sights).

"It's a strange world that exists inside our televisions, for some odd reason," Yukiko Amagi explained. "We've been coming here every now and then to save people who get thrown in."

"Most of us were victims of the Midnight Channel," Naoto Shirogane continued. "Now we're investigating what this world is about and who's throwing the victims in."

"Is it supposed to look like heaven?" Maylin wondered.

"It usually takes the form of something related to the victim..." Yosuke Hanamura started, only to quickly snap to attention when he remembered. That stupid Shadow had distracted them too much.

Almost as if some ungodly cosmic force had been waiting for that line of thought, the area around the group shifted into a golden palace lobby, and shadowy tendrils snaked around a mass of darkness in the center of the room.

"Oh, what now?!" Chie shouted, shifting into a battle stance.

A strange figure pushed its way out of the darkness, revealing itself to be a large cross, like the blades the Preachers carried, with a sunburst-esque metal piece extending from its backside.

"Oh, fantastic, _another_ one of these things?!" Kanji shouted.

"Careful, everyone, this one's _much_ stronger than the last one!" Rise exclaimed, wasting no time in scanning the World Balance.

The Investigation Team's leader, Yu Narukami, wasted no time in summoning his Persona, Sraosha, as the World Balance floated closer.

Before Rise could warn Yu about the World Balance's incoming attack, Maylin leaped in and cast an Aero spell, easily blocking the lightning strike from the World Balance.

"Nice try, thunder boy!" Maylin shouted. "Elemental spells are _my_ strong suit!"

"All right, let's do this," Nick proclaimed, bringing the Kingdom Key into a fighting stance.

The World Balance spun around and unleashed a powerful wave of fire to put space between itself and its opponents.

"Hey, Nick, think fast!" Maylin exclaimed, tossing Nick one of her many spell coins. Nick reached up to grab it, its power absorbing itself into him.

As the World Balance continued to spread fire around the arena, Nick twirled the Kingdom Key before aiming it towards the wave of fire.

"FREEZE!" Nick shouted, the tip of the Kingdom Key unleashing a large, shotgun-like blast of ice magic that quenched the raging flames upon contact.

"All right, girls, you've got a clear shot!" Nick exclaimed. "Go in there and whack it one!"

"Roger that!" Haruka replied before leaping over to the World Balance and performing a quick double strike to knock it back.

The strange cross responded with a lightning bolt strike from the sky, but Maylin easily rolled to the side before striking back with a Thunder spell of her own.

"Keep trying, cross boy!" Maylin shouted.

The World Balance continued its elemental onslaught, unleashing a wave of ice that Nick broke through with a Fire spell.

"Is it me, or does this thing not know any physical moves?" Haruka wondered as she leaped over a wind gust that had been forming under her to strike at the World Balance.

"Well, the last one we fought just kept flinging a lot of spells at us," Chie noted. "It didn't seem to like getting whacked up close."

Nick quickly dodged away from another wind blast before leaping back in with an aerial combo that drove the World Balance backwards.

"Well, then I think it's time we ended this," Nick quipped, holding the Kingdom Key above his head for a couple seconds and letting its power channel. Just to be safe, Nick quickly switched Kingdom Key with World System for some extra attack power.

The World Balance floated closer, but Nick was ready, unleashing his new move by dashing towards the World Balance at incredible speed. After slashing through the World Balance, Nick instantly turned around and dashed at it again, repeating the dash attack multiple times before ending it with a downward dash strike, causing the World Balance to bounce around the room a few times before collapsing onto the floor and dissolving into little dark wisps.

"YES!" Maylin exclaimed. "One freak of nature destroyed!"

"Whoa, you guys are pretty skilled," Kanji quipped.

" _Mom... where did you go? Why did you leave me? Please... please come back..."_

Everyone in the room snapped to attention at that particular voice.

"N-Nanako-chan?" Chie gasped.

"Wait a minute, I'm sensing something else," Rise noted, looking around through Himiko's visor. "There's someone else here. I couldn't tell at first because the reading was so faint, but whoever it is, it's growing stronger fast..."

"Wait, you think it's Namatame?!" Yosuke growled. "He probably ducked in here when he was cornered, just like Mitsuo did!"

"Most likely," Naoto answered. "He seemed particularly determined to kidnap Nanako-chan."

"But... but why?" Yukiko wondered. "If he _is_ behind everything, he _must_ know the dangers of this world..."

"I don't know, but if it is him, he may have found his way in through a TV that was near the accident scene, perhaps even the TV in his truck," Naoto continued. "And that means Nanako-chan may be in serious trouble... we have to hurry!"

"Okay, what's going on?" Nick asked. "Who are we saving from this nuthouse?"

"We'll explain on the way," Yu answered. "We can't afford to waste any time."

And so, as the group continued through Heaven, taking out Shadows and Heartless along the way, the Investigation Team recounted their story, of how it had all started with a strange murder and the discovery of the Midnight Channel, how Yu, Yosuke, and Chie had founded the Investigation Team to bring the killer to justice, and how each member had been a victim of the Midnight Channel before being saved and recruited. Nick had to keep himself from flying off the handle when Yu revealed that the hostage in question was Nanako Dojima, his seven-year-old cousin.

"This little bastard's even kidnapping children?!" Nick growled. "He's _really_ gone too far... I hope we find him soon, just so I can rip his freakin' head off!"

"Yeesh, Nick's really getting gung-ho about finding this Namatame guy," Maylin quipped.

"My little cousin was kidnapped once, too, back in Fadden Hills," Nick admitted. "Some nutjob nabbed him on his way home from school... I'm still counting my lucky stars that the police found him before anything happened. I have literally _zero_ tolerance for psychos who do whatever they want just because they think the world owes them something..."

"Well, then let's keep moving," Rise stated. "That strange power is getting closer."

The group stopped right in front of a gigantic door. Nick, Maylin, and Haruka could practically feel the dark power emanating from behind the door.

"Well, looks like this it," Yosuke quipped. "Is everyone ready?"

Everyone summoned their Personas, ready for whatever lay beyond the door.

"Let's go kick this guy's face in," Maylin quipped. "I'm sick of just kicking Heartless."

"You and me both," Haruka replied.

Yu walked up to the door, and it opened with just a single touch. The area beyond the door looked like a mountaintop at sunrise, giving everything a rather haunting glow.

"Where is he?" Nick proclaimed.

"B-Big bro?!"

Yu looked just ahead, and there was Nanako, being held by a middle-aged delivery man with a crazed look on his face. The Investigation Team quickly approached, with Nick, Maylin, and Haruka close by.

"Y-you mustn't go!" Namatame shouted.

"End of the line, asshole!" Nick growled, aiming the Kingdom Key at Namatame.

"You... you know me?" Namatame gasped.

"That _is_ Taro Namatame," Naoto confirmed. "So he did find his way in here..."

"So you're the killer?!" Yukiko exclaimed. "Let her go!"

"Oh, so you're the ones I saved..." Namatame babbled. "Don't worry... I'm going to save this girl, too."

"Look, freak show, stop wasting our time and _let her go!_ " Nick shouted. "I'm only warning you once!"

"Calm down, Kelly-kun," Naoto stated. "We can't predict what he's going to do. If we can figure out his intentions, maybe it'll be easier to deal with him."

Nick still stood his ground, ready to leap out at a moment's notice.

"All right, first question," Nick started. "Why are you doing this, freak?"

"I'm... I'm saving them..." Namatame answered.

"From _what_?!" Nick shot back.

"P-people who need to be saved... they appear on the TV..." Namatame continued. "That's why I have to put them in here... they all... they all want to be saved..."

"Did I _ever_ ask you to save me?!" Rise shouted.

"And you didn't save us, damn you! It was the exact opposite!" Kanji proclaimed.

"But if I hadn't put you in... what would have happened?" Namatame answered.

"W-what?" Rise gasped. "You mean we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves?"

"Exactly."

"Why did you target the local residents when the media featured them?" Naoto continued. "Why do they appear on the Midnight Channel?"

"On rainy nights... on the TV... they give me a signal... so I can save them..."

"You keep saying 'save this' and 'save that'," Haruka shot back. "Do you _actually_ think murdering people is _your_ twisted idea of saving them, you nutjob?!"

And for a split second, Namatame actually looked confused. "M-Murder? No, I'm saving them..."

"How the hell is that different?!" Yosuke exclaimed. "All you're doing is killing people!"

In response, Namatame just laughed. "If you want to think that, that's fine by me. I know you chased us here just to kill me... well, too bad. I'm still gonna save her..."

Namatame tightened his grip on Nanako, and then, an eerie dark shroud began to emanate from his body.

"An unknown, unreachable place, filled with pleasant fog..." Namatame proclaimed. "I'm a savior... it's so filthy over there... all of these evildoers... that's why I'm going to save them... because I am the savior... the righteous hero..."

"All right, that is just about it!" Nick shouted. "I'm _done_ listening to you!"

Before anyone else could protest, Nick raised the Kingdom Key and charged towards Namatame.

Namatame could only stand his ground as Nick approached, then somersaulted over him.

Nick quickly landed behind Namatame and lashed out with the Kingdom Key, catching Namatame across the back and stumbling him, forcing him to release Nanako.

"Maylin, Haruka, get Nanako out of there!" Nick shouted. "I'll deal with this freak!"

"Roger!" Haruka exclaimed as she and Maylin rushed over to lead Nanako back to the Investigation Team. Maylin noticed that Nanako looked slightly sick, no doubt due to prolonged exposure to the Midnight Channel, so she used a Cure spell on Nanako, who now looked a lot better.

"B-big bro?" Nanako uttered as Yu walked closer.

"It's okay, Nanako-chan, I'm here," Yu answered as he leaned down and hugged Nanako tightly.

Maylin took the time to raise a Reflect barrier around them. "This'll keep Nanako-chan safe from this fog," Maylin stated. "We're gonna go and back Nick up. You stay here and keep Nanako safe, 'kay?"

Yu nodded as Nanako gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Nowhere left to run," Nick proclaimed, staring down Namatame. "It's just you and me now. And don't think I'll be showing you _any_ mercy after what you did."

"D-Don't get in my way!" Namatame shouted. "I _will_ save her!"

"You even _touch_ her again, and I'm chopping those hands of yours off!" Nick shot back, charging in to attack.

Namatame threw bolts of dark energy one after another, but Nick dodged to the side and let the bolts fly harmlessly by him.

"D-don't come any closer!" Namatame exclaimed, using Mabufudyne to raise a wall of ice in Nick's path, but Nick simply switched to Signal Beacon and let loose a Fire spell, the powered-up ball of flame swiftly melting the ice wall so Nick could attack.

Namatame didn't have time to unleash another spell, as Nick was closing in quickly. Namatame quickly raised his hands in one last hope of repelling his pursuer, but Nick didn't give him that chance, swatting his flailing hands aside before going on the offensive, slashing at Namatame's prone form again and again, intending to cause as much damage as he possibly could.

Nick eventually unleashed a Ripple Drive that sent Namatame stumbling backwards, but he wasn't finished yet.

"Say goodnight, bastard!" Nick shouted, switching to World System before zipping forward and striking with the same super-speedy dash combo he'd used against the World Balance, which Nick had aptly nicknamed "Sonic Blade". Once it was over, Namatame fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, groaning in pain from his injuries.

"How do you plead, you son of a bitch?" Nick growled.

Before Nick could get a response, he suddenly sensed great darkness approaching. Nick had barely gotten his keyblade up when great torrents of Shadows began to converge on Namatame, lifting him into the air and covering him in a cocoon of darkness.

As the cocoon began to expand, Maylin and Haruka rushed onto the field.

"Is Nanako okay?" Nick asked.

"She'll be fine," Maylin answered. "I put up a Reflect barrier around her so she'll be safe. Apparently, something about this world wasn't sitting well with her, because she looked like she was in a lot of pain. I healed her before we came out here, so she's going to be just fine."

"Good, good," Nick sighed in relief. "Now let's tear whatever this thing is apart."

"We're with you guys!" Kanji exclaimed as the Investigation Team rushed over, their Personas at the ready. "No way in _hell_ are we going to let this bastard get away with hurting Nanako-chan. Let's get in there and _renovate_ this guy's ass!"

The entire group steadied themselves as Namatame burst out of the cocoon of darkness, no longer even recognizable. In his place was a gigantic monster who looked like a large, dark-skinned priest with a spiked red halo over his head. The Heartless symbol was also imprinted on the front of his robe.

" _I-I'M GOING TO SAVE HER! DON'T INTERFERE!"_ the creature shouted.

"Forget it," Nick growled. "We're ending this right here and now."

Kuni-no-Sagiri started firing off random spells in hopes of keeping his attackers away, but Maylin kept raising Reflect barriers to shield them, and the few that got by her were easily absorbed by one of the Investigation Team's Personas.

Yosuke raised his hand, and his Persona, Jiraiya, unleashed a powerful wind spell that lifted Kuni-no-Sagiri into the air.

"Hey, Yosuke, follow my lead, okay?" Maylin quipped. Yosuke just nodded. "When I signal, have mister frog throw some shurikens, got it?"

They waited until the Garudyne spell faded, letting Kuni-no-Sagiri fall back to the floor.

"NOW!"

Jiraiya spun around before throwing a storm of shurikens for Kuni-no-Sagiri in seemingly random patterns. When they were close enough, Maylin fired a Thunder spell for the shurikens, which bounced between them and formed an electric cage that electrocuted Kuni-no-Sagiri for a few seconds.

Once Kuni-no-Sagiri fell back to the ground, Nick took the opportunity and rushed in, slashing at the creature a few times before forcing it back with a Ripple Drive.

" _ENOUGH!"_ Kuni-no-Sagiri proclaimed. _"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!"_

"My turn!" Chie exclaimed, getting into a kung-fu stance. Her Persona, Tomoe Gozen, went into the exact same stance.

After a couple seconds to get ready, Tomoe Gozen rushed at Kuni-no-Sagiri. As Chie stood in place performing various karate and kung-fu attacks, Tomoe Gozen mimicked every move Chie made, wailing on Kuni-no-Sagiri's prone form and keeping the creature at bay.

While this was happening, Maylin and Haruka dashed to each side of Kuni-no-Sagiri and began to unleash one Strike Raid after another, throwing their keyblades at the creature before calling them back to throw it again.

Even Yukiko contributed to the multi-directional attack, unleashing multiple Agidyne spells from her own Persona, Konohana Sakuya.

After a while of this, Kuni-no-Sagiri roared in rage, unleashing a pulse wave that forced everyone to retreat to a safe distance.

" _WHY DO YOU GET IN MY WAY?!"_ Kuni-no-Sagiri exclaimed. _"I WILL SAVE THE GIRL!"_

"You know, I'm getting sick of your babbling," Nick shot back. "How about you just shut your damn mouth and take the beating you deserve?!"

Nick swung the Kingdom Key and charged in, only to see Kuni-no-Sagiri raise its arms, its halo glowing with shades of darkness.

" _DON'T INTERFERE!"_ Kuni-no-Sagiri proclaimed. _"QUAD CONVERGE!"_

Four elemental orbs appeared around Nick as he ran, forcing him to stop in his place, but no matter which way he dodged, the orbs would follow him.

Maylin quickly rushed over to Nick, raising Spellbinder and casting a Reflect barrier around them as the orbs all converged, exploding harmlessly against the barrier.

"Nice try, guy," Maylin laughed. "When you're dealing with Candracar's best mage, you really need to try better!"

Kanji let out a battle cry before dropping a large Ziodyne lightning bolt onto Kuni-no-Sagiri's head courtesy of his Persona, Take-Mikazuchi.

"That's how _we_ do things!" Kanji proclaimed.

Even Teddie joined in the attack, launching multiple energy missiles from his Persona, Kintoki-Douji, after using a Bufudyne spell to freeze Kuni-no-Sagiri in place.

"Everyone, stay sharp! He's charging a _really_ powerful attack!" Rise exclaimed, tracking the development with Himiko.

Sure enough, Kuni-no-Sagiri was glowing with a bright and shimmering light as it charged its most powerful attack.

" _YOU WILL INTERFERE NO LONGER!"_ Kuni-no-Sagiri shouted. _"NOW FEEL MY UNERRING JUSTICE!"_

A blinding flash erupted from Kuni-no-Sagiri's body, blasting away everyone who was close. When the light faded, Kuni-no-Sagiri set its eyes on Nanako, who was still within the Reflect barrier that Maylin had set up for her and Yu.

" _WHY DO YOU KEEP ME FROM SAVING HER?!"_ Kuni-no-Sagiri proclaimed, floating towards Nanako. _"SHE IS CRYING OUT TO BE SAVED, AND I WILL BE THE RIGHTEOUS HERO AND BRING HER AWAY FROM THE DARKNESS!"_

Nick was the first to recover, brandishing the Kingdom Key and racing to catch up with Kuni-no-Sagiri.

Naoto stepped up, aiming a Hama spell at Kuni-no-Sagiri followed by a Mudo spell, but no matter the damage it took, the creature continued unerring towards where Nanako and Yu rested.

Yu himself decided he wouldn't be left out, leaving the safety of the barrier to fire off a few spells from his main Persona, Izanagi, but they all bounced off the charging Kuni-no-Sagiri. Rushing back into the barrier, Yu hugged Nanako tightly, indicating that Kuni-no-Sagiri would have to go through him first.

Nick made a mighty leap, letting his momentum carry him.

Just as Kuni-no-Sagiri was about to reach out and make good on that threat, he twitched in agony. Nanako was the first to look up and see that Nick was the cause, having attacked Kuni-no-Sagiri with a flying downward slash.

Kuni-no-Sagiri began to writhe in pain as darkness began to billow from all of the wounds he had sustained during the battle. Kuni-no-Sagiri roared once before crashing unceremoniously to the ground, darkness surrounding him before evaporating and leaving the unresponsive body of Namatame behind.

"Damn it... w-why?" was the last thing Namatame said before seemingly evaporating himself, little specks of darkness the only thing that remained of him.

"H-Hey, what happened?!" Chie exclaimed. "Why did he disappear?"

Maylin looked up at the sky, where a small heart-like shape escaped into the empty air.

"He's gone," Maylin answered. "The Heartless did him in."

The Investigation Team regrouped, many of them seeing to Nanako to make sure she was all right, Teddie especially.

What none of them knew, however, was that they were being watched from another world.

"Okay, I've got a question. What exactly drew the Heartless to that world?" a pirate-like figure wondered, watching the battle with Kuni-no-Sagiri come to a close through the green liquid of the viewing pool.

The figure in the mirror looked around. "The unstable man lured them there," the mirror figure answered. "It was his lust for power that was the bait. But it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good."

"Yeah, he got swallowed instead!" a wolf-like figure cackled.

"A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless," a young woman stated, little sparks of fire trailing behind her. "But the boy seems like he's going to be a problem. He found one of the keyholes, after all."

"Fear not," the figure in the mirror replied. "It will take him ages to find the rest."

"And let's not forget our other ace in the hole," the woman responded, gesturing to the viewing pool, where a certain black-hooded figure could be seen stalking through the alleyways of Traverse Town.

Back in Heaven, the entire group had returned to the main hub of the Midnight Channel, discussing what these latest developments meant for this case.

"So, does this mean the case is over, then?" Chie wondered. "With Namatame gone, that means no more kidnappings, right?"

"We should probably stay on our guard anyway," Naoto replied. "After all, who knows what else this world is capable of?"

"Wait, everyone," Rise proclaimed, switching on Himiko's visor. "I'm sensing a strange power source nearby."

This was enough to put everyone on guard, but this quickly turned into confusion when one of the television sets began to float into the air and turn around, revealing a glowing keyhole on the back of it.

"Ooooookay..." Yosuke quipped. "That definitely seems odd."

"This one's mine," Nick replied, summoning Kingdom Key to his hands and aiming it for the keyhole. Light shined around the keyblade's tip, and it shot a beam of energy into the keyhole, locking it off with a loud 'click'. The television returned to the exact same spot it had been before, only something fell out of it.

"Hey, that's a gummi block!" Haruka exclaimed, picking up the block.

"Hmmm... another one that's not like your typical gummi block," Maylin quipped. "I wonder what they're for?"

"You know, I met someone back when I was brought to Traverse Town," Nick stated, catching Maylin and Haruka's attention. "She seemed to know a lot about gummi blocks, so maybe she'll know what to do with these ones."

"Well, I think that settles it! We're heading back to Traverse Town!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Say, you three? Why don't you seem affected by the Midnight Channel?" Yukiko wondered. "We have to wear these glasses just so we don't get affected by the fog, and look what happened with Nanako-chan..."

"Maybe it's because we're not from... 'around here', so to say," Maylin quipped.

"I'd probably guess it's because of the keyblade," Nick answered. "Its powers must be protecting us from whatever the fog is supposed to do to you."

"You guys should probably get back to the real world anyway," Haruka finished. "I don't think Nanako should be here any longer than she's already been."

"That's a good idea! Let's get the heck out of here!" Chie exclaimed.

"But before we go," Rise quipped, handing Nick a trinket. "This is for you, for all the help you gave us. Consider it a thank you present."

Nick accepted the trinket, attaching it to the Kingdom Key's keychain and watching as the weapon transformed. This new keyblade appeared to be modeled after the Investigation Team's Personas. The handle guard resembled Tomoe Gozen's laser blades, the hilt of the blade was one of Jiraiya's shurikens, the blade itself was a cross between the blade of Izanagi's sword and the laser sword of Sukuna-Hikona and ended in a lightning bolt like the one on Take-Mikazuchi's staff, the blade's teeth were the feathers of Konohana Sakuya's wings, the keychain was made of multiple copies of Kintoki-Douji's missiles, and the charm itself was Himiko's satellite visor. The words _Truth Seeker_ ran through Nick's head.

Once back in the Gummi Ship, Haruka opened the computer's map screen, searching through the charted areas of the Lanes Between in order to find the quickest route back to Traverse Town.

"Here's hoping we don't have to deal with that stupid pirate ship again," Maylin quipped. "That thing just wasn't fair..."

"When are they ever?" Haruka answered. "Let's get back to Traverse Town, on the double!"

And with that, the Gummi Ship roared to life and coasted back along the pathway they had come from. From this angle, Nick was finally able to get a good look at the Lanes Between in their full glory, being a collection of swirling nebulas of multiple colors with various structures scattered across the void, most likely more worlds to explore.

"Looks cool, doesn't it?" Haruka giggled. "It's really nice for travel photos."

However, none of the three pilots noticed a strange portal of darkness flaring to life at the very edge of the void.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Truth Seeker  
** Strength: 6  
Magic: 5  
Ability: Limit Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the brave people who pursue the truth. Well-balanced in both strength and magic, and increases damage done from Limit Break attacks by 50%._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Hello again, Traverse Town!

Haruka: It seems we may be learning more about the Heartless threat during this trip, too.

Nick: My question is, what's with this book?

Maylin: And what are _you_ doing here again?!

?: Just my duty. You still do not understand that this power was never meant for you.

Haruka: Oh, really? You think _you're_ going to teach us that?!

?: That is the plan, obviously.

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "The Keyhole"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	5. The Keyhole

"Say, Nick?" Maylin asked. "What was your life like before you met us?"

Haruka, noticing Nick's stammering, just laughed. "She wants to know what you were up to before your world got taken. We were honestly surprised that you know about Candracar, for one thing."

"Well, I _am_ friends with the Guardians of the Veil, after all," Nick replied. "I kind of caught them after they came back from one of their missions, and I honestly expected them to try and wipe my memories of it or something. I mean, that's what I would do in that situation. I was surprised when they didn't."

Nick thought back to the strange dream he'd had before Heatherfield had been swallowed by darkness, of the voice that had guided him until acquiring the keyblade. "I wonder who that voice was..."

Haruka didn't need to ask Nick anything to know what he meant by that. She and Maylin had gone through similar dreams and situations to receive their keyblades.

"What about you two?" Nick wondered. "I could ask the same question."

"Oh, the stories we could tell you!" Maylin exclaimed. "We've been through _so many_ adventures!"

"Didn't start out so fun, did it?" Haruka replied, knowing that particular topic was still a bit of a sore spot for Maylin.

"Hey, at least we took the jerk down!" Maylin proclaimed, waving Spellbinder proudly. "Helps that I was the one who took it down. He'll never torture dear old dad again."

Nick instantly noticed the tear that fell from Maylin's eyes and tried to stop himself.

"Hey, if I brought up an unpleasant memory, I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, no, no, it's okay!" Maylin stammered. "It was a while ago, it's... it's just..."

"Maylin's parents were killed by a Heartless," Haruka explained. "One of the first things Maylin wanted to do when she got her keyblade was find the one that killed them and destroy it. It took us two years of searching, but we got 'em in the end."

"I just miss them, you know?" Maylin replied. "Even now, I'm sure they'd be proud of me."

Maylin walked over and hugged Nick tightly. "Thanks for caring, by the way. It's nice to know that people care."

Haruka just smiled at the exchange as the Gummi Ship approached Traverse Town.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The group returns to Traverse Town to acquire some assistance in working the strange gummi blocks they found at Beacon Academy and the Midnight Channel. Along the way, they also get to visit a rather strange world inside of a book, where intelligent monkeys run wild. Certain revelations will also come to light, like a clue about who is running the show when it comes to the Heartless. But, is there still more to this plot than meets the eye?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 5: The Keyhole

All was quiet in Traverse Town as the three keyblade wielders walked through the entryway to the First District.

"Maylin, if I made you sad, I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to keep apologizing, Nick," Maylin quipped, lazily spinning Spellbinder in her hand. "There was no way you could have known. After all, we've only known each other for a few days."

"Maylin, listen, if there's one thing I hate doing to people, it's making girls cry, no matter if I meant it or not," Nick replied. "When I was younger, I accidentally made Marie cry over something really stupid, and I felt horrible about it for days. When she finally came out and said she forgave me, I swore to myself that I'd never make a girl cry again. It was hard enough seeing my sister cry because of something I did."

"Nick, you need to understand that Maylin's not the type to hold grudges against her friends," Haruka responded. "She already said she isn't angry with you at all, so don't worry. _I'm_ the one who brought it up in the first place, anyway."

Maylin smiled, walking closer to Nick and kissing him on the cheek. "There. Does that tell you that I'm okay?"

"I-I guess it does," Nick replied, blushing slightly.

Nick was spared from any further blushing when portals of darkness opened up all around the trio, spawning many Heartless from the dark depths.

"Oh, _that's_ just nice," Maylin groaned, noticing the multitude of Heartless that were approaching. They all looked similar, being little cone-shaped Heartless with wizard caps, only they were all different colors.

"Maylin hates these things," Haruka explained so Nick could get up to speed. "The Red Nocturne uses Fire magic, the Blue Rhapsody uses Blizzard magic, the Yellow Opera uses Thunder magic, and the Green Requiem is the healer. They're also immune to magic, so we've gotta mop 'em up the old fashioned way."

Nick readied the Kingdom Key as the Heartless approached.

"Argh, stand still, you stupid things!" Maylin growled, swiping at a Red Nocturne with Spellbinder, only for it to dance away from the strike.

Haruka smiled as a group of the Blue Rhapsodies surrounded her. She extended Divine Rose and began to spin it around her, crushing any Heartless who dared to get close.

Nick continued to alternate his swings, catching a different mage with each hit before unleashing a Ripple Drive that destroyed a fair few. He looked back at Maylin and couldn't help but chuckle at how she was faring. Nick knew that Maylin often preferred to let her magic do the talking in a fight, and wasn't as skilled as Haruka in direct physical combat.

"All right, that's it!" Maylin proclaimed. "I was hoping to save this for a better time, but you're leaving me no choice!"

Maylin reached into her pocket and pulled out a spell coin before tossing it into the air.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FORCE!" Maylin shouted, striking the spell coin. A field of purple light formed around a large group of the wizard Heartless, eventually squishing them down as if they'd been flattened.

Maylin smirked as she dashed in to clean up with the mages flattened as they were.

"Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen Maylin use Gravity magic," Haruka quipped.

However, for every Heartless that was defeated, more would appear, much like all the other worlds they'd been to.

"Oh, come _on_ already! When will they learn that enough is enough?!" Maylin shouted.

" _Princess Machine Gun!"_

Hundreds of aqua-blue energy spheres rained down from above, making short work of the remaining Heartless. Once the area was calm again, Cure Princess dropped down from the roof of the Accessory Shop.

"Thanks for the assist," Haruka stated as Cure Princess walked up to the group.

"And perfect timing, too!" Maylin exclaimed. "I HATE THOSE DANG MAGE THINGS!"

"I'm getting better with these guys," Cure Princess giggled. "So, what's new to report?"

"Three keyholes sealed," Nick replied. "We found some strange gummi blocks along the way, so we came back to find someone who can help us decipher what they're for."

"Maybe Iona would know?" Cure Princess wondered. "She's probably training at the underground caverns. If you want to find it, the channel in the Second District alleyway will take you right there."

The moment was interrupted when another Heartless spawned right in front of the group.

"Oh, for crying out loud, _another one?!_ " Maylin growled.

"Wait a minute," Haruka noted, looking in confusion at this new Heartless. It resembled the mage Heartless they had just fought, but this one was completely black with a red cap. "I've never seen this one before..."

The Black Ballade spun around before splitting into five identical copies of itself.

"Okay, so which one's real?" Cure Princess quipped.

Nick studied the Black Ballades, looking for any possible tell, until they started spinning. After a couple seconds, they all changed positions, but Nick quickly caught the one that bobbed up and down while moving.

"Got you!" Nick shouted, attacking with a vertical strike. The Black Ballade stumbled, the copies vanishing before splitting itself up again.

"I think we have to hit the right one a few more times," Nick quipped, studying the Black Ballade's movements until they began to shift positions, making sure to hit the right one when it moved.

After about seven successful hits, the Black Ballade backed away before vanishing, leaving a strange crystal behind.

"Hey, what is that?" Maylin wondered.

"It looks like my Love Crystal," Cure Princess noted. "I'll hold onto it. Maybe the others would know something. In the meantime, you guys go check in with Iona!"

"Roger that," Haruka quipped, and the trio made their way to the Second District.

However, when they got there, something seemed off about the district.

"What's the matter, Haruka?" Maylin asked.

"I don't know... do you have this strange feeling we're being watched?" Haruka answered.

Nick was about to chime in on the discussion when he felt something whiz by his head. Spinning around and bringing the Kingdom Key into a fighting stance, he saw nothing nearby.

"Oooookay..." Nick quipped, only for another projectile to bonk him in the back of the head, causing him to stumble.

Maylin quickly noticed movement from one side of the hotel roofs. A monkey-like Heartless was sitting there, aiming straight for the trio.

"We've got a sniper!" Maylin exclaimed, using a Thunder spell to destroy the Sniperwild before it could fire again.

However, two more Sniperwilds spawned on the same rooftop and quickly ducked out of sight.

"All right, I'll teach these sniper boys a thing or two," Maylin quipped. "I HATE snipers!"

Maylin waited for the Sniperwilds to peek out from their sniping spots before firing off two separate Thunder spells that destroyed both of them. Three more Sniperwilds appeared at the opposite end of the alleyway, already aiming for them.

"Okay, this is just getting stupid," Maylin proclaimed before readying another Thunder spell. However, before she could, at least six more Sniperwilds spawned by the others.

"I'll handle this," Nick stated, switching Kingdom Key with Truth Seeker and dashing forward. The Sniperwilds all began to fire projectiles, but Nick was ready this time and batted them away before going into a Sonic Blade attack once he was close enough, finishing off the swarm.

Maylin waited until she was sure no more of them would spawn before relaxing her posture.

"Well, THAT was annoying," Maylin groaned. "I'm so sick of snipers, those dumb little campers..."

"At least it's nice to know that some of these things aren't completely mindless," Nick teased. "But I think we've got more pressing matters to attend to. Let's go find Iona and see if she knows anything."

After reaching the other end of the alleyway, the trio ducked through a narrow pathway, ultimately ending up in a rather spacious cavern where Cure Fortune and Cure Honey could be seen sparring with each other, Cure Fortune throwing out various karate moves and Cure Honey blocking them as instructed.

"Oh, you're back!" Cure Fortune gasped, relaxing her stance and walking up to the trio. "Did you find the keyhole?"

"So far, we've found three of them," Nick answered. "The keyblade locked 'em up nice and tight."

"That's good to hear," Cure Honey stated.

"Every world among the stars has a keyhole," Iona explained. "And each one leads to the heart of that world. That means there's probably one in this town as well."

"Please, keep locking the keyholes," Cure Honey proclaimed. "You're the only one who can."

Maylin and Haruka nodded to each other, producing the gummi blocks they'd won from the battles in Beacon Academy and the Midnight Channel. "Say, Iona, we found these two gummi blocks, and they're not your typical ones. Cure Princess thought you might know something about them."

Cure Fortune studied the blocks carefully. "Sorry, I really don't know anything about Gummi Ships, but maybe Kiva would know something. She used one to come to Traverse Town when her own world was taken. She's probably still in the Accessory Shop."

"But before you go, take this with you," Cure Honey continued, handing Nick a glowing green gemstone. "It holds some mysterious power, so we've been carrying it as sort of a good luck charm. But we decided it'd probably serve you three better."

"What does it do?" Nick asked.

"That's the one thing we don't know," Cure Fortune answered.

After a few more words were exchanged, mostly about the status of the fellow Pretty Cures that had been rescued from the other worlds, the trio made their way back to the First District, taking down another group of Sniperwilds along the way (much to Maylin's frustration). Once there, Nick guided his friends to the Accessory Shop, where he had met Kiva Andru after arriving in Traverse Town for the first time.

"Say, that's an interesting-looking gummi block," Kiva stated, looking at the two gummi blocks.

"Do you know what they're for?" Maylin wondered.

"You're kidding, right?" Kiva scoffed. "You fly your own Gummi Ship and you don't know about navigation gummis? Honestly... interspace isn't a playground, you know."

"Okay, so there's a lot we don't know," Nick shot back. "So what?! The Gummi Ship is the only way we can go to other worlds, so we don't have a choice!"

"Whoa, easy," Kiva responded, waving her hands. "I didn't know. No hard feelings, all right? Well, I guess I could lend you a hand, then."

"Thanks very much!" Maylin laughed.

"Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to more new places. You

want one on your ship, right?" Kiva asked, to which the trio nodded. "I'll install it for you, then. But there's something I have to deliver first."

"What is it?" Haruka asked.

"Just this book," Kiva answered, showing off the book in question, apparently titled the "Pipo Storybook", and it looked like it had seen better days. "It's very old. When it came into my possession, it was just about falling apart, too damaged to restore to its original condition. But, overall, I think I did a decent enough job putting it back together, considering the limited technology I have to work with. Do you mind delivering it for me? The drop-off point is a strange house just past the Third District."

With the storybook in hand, the trio returned through the Third District where they had fought the Guard Armor a while ago, through the passage that Kiva had mentioned, and eventually into a strange-looking building that appeared to have jumped right out of Japan's feudal era.

"Whoa," Maylin quipped. "Definitely not your typical old-school house."

"I wonder who lives here?" Haruka wondered.

"That would be me."

The trio turned around to see a young woman walking into the house. She had long, flowing black hair and light purple eyes and was wearing a simple black and red kimono. She appeared to be about fifteen, no older than Haruka was.

"You've arrived sooner than I expected," the woman stated.

"Wait, you knew we were coming?" Nick gasped.

"Of course," the young woman giggled.

"You're not a Heartless, are you?" Maylin proclaimed.

"She doesn't look like one," Haruka replied.

"Oh, my, no. My name is Kikyo," the young woman answered. "I am simply a priestess who spends much of my time traveling. It is good to be home, but we should get down to business. Your oracle has requested my assistance."

"The Oracle? You mean Himerish himself?" Maylin gasped.

"Yes," Kikyo answered. "My world was taken from me by strange shadow creatures, no doubt the Heartless you speak of. I was found by your oracle and asked to assist you."

"What _kind_ of assistance, exactly?" Maylin wondered.

"Your oracle has asked me to train you in the art of magic," Kikyo explained. "We can start anytime you wish. Let me know when you're ready to begin."

Kikyo glanced outside, where another woman about a year younger than her had just made her way in. She appeared to be almost the spitting image of a slightly younger Kikyo, only she had grey eyes instead of purple and her kimono had its colors reversed.

"Hi," the younger woman proclaimed. "My name's Kagome Higurashi. Your oracle asked me to help out, too."

"I do not know how much we can be of help, but please stop by anytime," Kikyo finished. "We will do everything in our power to assist you."

"Speaking of assisting, I believe we have a delivery for you," Nick stated, handing the Pipo Storybook to Kikyo.

"Oh, that book..." Kikyo gasped. "So, Kiva asked you to bring this. Thank you. You wish to know what kind of book it is? I don't even know, myself. In fact, it does not belong to me. I simply found it on my travels one day. It seemed like a very curious book, so I asked Kiva to repair it for me."

"So, you _don't_ know anything about the book?" Maylin asked.

"No, but my instincts are telling me that this book holds a great secret," Kikyo answered. "I believe that the missing pages will unlock the book's mysteries."

Kikyo walked over to a nearby shelf and placed the book on top of it. "I shall leave the book here for the moment. You may observe it whenever you are ready. Make sure to give Kiva my thanks for repairing it for me."

Nick took a good look at the storybook. "What do you say? Should I go check it out?"

"Go right ahead, fearless leader," Maylin proclaimed. "We'll hold down the fort 'til you get back."

Nick nodded, walking up to the Pipo Storybook and opening it, flinching as a blinding light pulled him into its pages.

* * *

By the time Nick trusted himself to open his eyes again, he found himself in a strange-looking station. It appeared to be part of the nearby house, but this backyard area had been retrofitted with very futuristic-looking consoles and computers, one of which appeared to be a teleporter device.

"Oooookay..." Nick quipped. "So I'm inside a strange delta hub place, inside a storybook. I really don't think my life's ever gonna be normal again."

Nick's musings were cut short when a loud crash resounded from inside the house, alongside a jumble of voices.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Quick, catch that monkey!"

Nick turned around just in time to see a monkey about half his size crash through the nearby window, running around like it was on a sugar rush. Nick didn't see anything out of the ordinary at first, until he noticed the odd helmet the monkey was wearing.

The monkey kept running until it bumped into him, falling back onto its butt before standing up and squeaking out what sounded like a challenge.

"Oh, what, you wanna tango?" Nick responded, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands.

The monkey squealed and threw banana peels at Nick, but he easily swatted them aside before dashing in to strike a couple times. The monkey didn't seem discouraged, quickly regaining its composure before running in like a maniac, its arms flailing.

Nick dodged the attack and delivered a flying overhead smash, sending the monkey tumbling. Just then, a girl leaped through the open window, holding an energy net in her hands, and swung the net towards the stunned monkey, catching it in the netting and causing it to disappear with a bright flash.

"Yes!" Yumi exclaimed. "Monkey captured!"

"Was that thing causing trouble?" Nick asked.

"Oh, don't even get me started," Yumi stated. "Thanks for helping me capture it. Let's get back to the lab."

Back inside the house, Aki looked at the computer screen, which was confirming that the captured monkey had been transported somewhere.

"I guess it wasn't just one of Natalie's bad jokes," Aki sighed. "Kei, Yumi, we're going to need you to take care of this. Will you help us?"

"Of course!" Kei and Yumi proclaimed at the same time.

"Mind if I ask what's going on?" Nick asked.

So Kei and Yumi explained everything; the evil Specter that was commanding the monkeys, the strange television shows that were turning everyone into mindless couch potatoes, and the odd appearance of someone else running the show.

"Okay, so what can I do to help?" Nick wondered.

"At the moment, not much," Aki replied. "You'll have to find the rest of the missing pages so we can explore more new areas. It seems like the pages have been scattered across many different worlds. Would you find them for us?"

"Already planning on it," Nick replied. "I'll be back once I've found some."

And with that, Nick made his way out of the TV Station while Kei and Yumi set off to capture the monkeys.

* * *

"Whoa, dude, back already?" Maylin asked as Nick reappeared from the storybook.

"Not much I _can_ do until we find the missing pages," Nick stated, repeating what Aki had told him.

Kikyo smiled when she sensed the magic stone that Cure Honey had given him. "Oh, and about that stone in your possession, you should ask Kagome about it. She will know what to do."

So Nick did just that, showing Kagome the strange stone he had received.

"Oh, the poor girl," Kagome sighed. "She's been turned into a summon gem."

"What's a summon gem?" Maylin asked. "I've never heard of such a thing..."

"This girl lived in a world that was consumed by the darkness," Kagome answered. "When a world is destroyed by the Heartless, so are the people and every living thing who live there. But this girl had such a strong heart that she became a summon gem instead of vanishing with the rest of her world."

"Can she regain herself?" Nick wondered.

"Yes, but only her spirit," Kagome replied. "Hold on just a second..."

Kagome clutched the summon gem in her hands, calling on her spiritual powers. The gem began to emit a blinding flash for a few seconds before fading. Kagome smiled at her efforts, the gem having become a bright green diamond.

"Whenever you call on her, she will help you out," Kagome stated, handing the Psyemerald to Nick. "If you find any more summon gems, bring them to me and I'll help them out. But don't worry about them, because whenever their worlds are restored, they'll return there. Please take good care of them."

"We should probably go see Kiva now," Haruka stated. "She's probably done installing that gummi block."

But as the trio returned to the Third District, more Heartless spawned, cutting them off. Most of them were the mage Heartless from before, but a few of them were flying Heartless with wings and large fists, obviously meant for punching things hard.

"Oh, goody, these freaks," Maylin groaned. "I HATE Air Soldiers!"

"Air Soldiers are very agile in the air, but they can't do much on the ground," Haruka explained. "So if you wanna snuff them out for good, you gotta ground 'em."

As the pack of Heartless closed in, Nick suddenly realized that now would probably be a good time to use the summon gem he had been entrusted with.

Reaching into his pocket and retrieving the Psyemerald, Nick held it into the sky as Maylin and Haruka's bodies began to glow with a soft emerald light.

Before Nick could ask, both Maylin and Haruka disappeared from sight.

 _Maybe these summon gems require the power of my friends along with my own power to use them,_ Nick thought. _So whenever I use one, I'll be on my own. All right, let's see what this baby can do._

Nick tossed the Psyemerald into the air, where it floated on its own, then brought the Kingdom Key behind him, brilliant light surrounding the tip of its blade. After charging up for a bit, Nick thrust the Kingdom Key to the sky and a burst of energy shot from the blade, swirling through the air like a tornado before striking the Psyemerald.

 **("THE HERO! ~Ikareru Kobushi ni Hi wo Tsukero~" by JAM Project plays)**

The summon gem flashed with blinding emerald light before creating a powerful psychic vortex in the sky above it. A figure descended from the vortex, coming to a stop just a few inches off the ground in front of Nick, making it clear to him that she had psychic powers.

The woman looked young, about as much as Maylin, but something in Nick's mind told him that she was actually older than she looked (Nick had long since stopped judging peoples' ages based on their looks, having learned that lesson the hard way a while ago). She had shoulder-length curly green hair and green eyes, and was wearing a simple black dress. Nevertheless, Nick could easily feel the incredible psychic power radiating from this woman.

Tatsumaki looked behind her, surprised for a second before turning her attention to the horde of Heartless. She didn't seem surprised that they didn't back off because of her immense power.

Tatsumaki looked back at Nick, regarding her summoner before smiling in a rather cheeky way. Nick smiled back in response.

"Let's get 'em," Nick stated. Tatsumaki didn't need to be told twice.

They turned their attention to the Heartless, who were now charging full force. Tatsumaki simply thrust her hands forward, unleashing a psychic pulse that sent the Heartless flying back so quickly that they were destroyed instantly upon being flung into the fountain walls.

Nick decided he wasn't going to be left out, rushing in to attack while Tatsumaki displayed her unbelievable psychic powers, easily flinging Heartless around like paper dolls in a hurricane.

One of the Air Soldiers attempted to sneak up behind Tatsumaki, but was quickly ensnared in a powerful psychic grip. Tatsumaki raised her hand and flicked it towards Nick, sending the Air Soldier flying towards him where it was quickly destroyed by a horizontal slash.

This relay continued, with Tatsumaki decimating the Heartless brigade with her psychic powers while Nick took down any stragglers.

For the finale, as another large group of Heartless spawned, Tatsumaki clapped her hands together, creating a violent maelstrom of psychic power that grouped all of the Heartless together into one large clump. Tatsumaki gestured to Nick, inviting him to finish the job, which he did easily by rushing in and making short work of the Heartless clump with a super-powered Sonic Blade, Tatsumaki adding her strength to his while Nick attacked.

And with that, it was all over. Tatsumaki floated back over to Nick, studying him for a few seconds before nodding in approval and raising her hand. Nick picked up on her intent and gave Tatsumaki a high-five that made her smile before disappearing in a flash of green light, leaving behind the Psyemerald which fell back into Nick's hands.

Nick had figured that he could only call on his summons for a short time, and now Tatsumaki had gone back into the Psyemerald until the next time she would be needed.

"Holy crap, what just happened?!" Maylin exclaimed, having just reappeared alongside Haruka.

"I think we just slaughtered everything," Haruka replied.

"Welcome back, girls," Nick quipped, knowing that Maylin and Haruka would return after the summon was dismissed. "Was that fun or what?"

"Whoever that girl you summoned is, she's insane!" Maylin shouted. "I've never seen anyone with such amazing power before!"

"I just hope we'll be able to call on her again," Haruka continued. "I'm pretty sure that kind of power's gonna be extremely helpful."

"I'm sure we can, but let's just let her rest for now," Nick answered.

While the trio was conversing about how awesome Tatsumaki was, a lone Air Soldier was getting ready to pounce.

Maylin was the first to notice the incoming Air Soldier, and summoned Spellbinder to do something about it.

But someone else took care of that for her.

Leaping out from the shadows with lightning-fast agility, she extended her weapon and slashed straight through the Air Soldier with ease, landing on her feet and striking a rather cheesy pose as the heart escaped into the sky.

"Holy..." Maylin gasped.

"That was effective," Haruka quipped.

"There you are. Mind explaining what's going on around here?" the new arrival laughed.

Nick immediately turned his attention to the new arrival, who turned out to be his sister Marie. The weapon she had used turned out to be a keyblade. The keyblade's guard was circular and somewhat jagged around its edges. The upper half of the guard was black, the center was grey, and the bottom of it was white. The handle is a featureless, grey rod, the shaft was thin and navy blue in coloration, except for the tip, which was silver. The base of the shaft also sported two diamond-shaped bumps. The keyblade's teeth were comprised of a rectangular frame lined with four short, blunt spikes, the spikes and frame all navy blue. The teeth also had three silver pieces bent at right angles, two on the inside corners of the frame and one on the inside center of one side. The keychain links and token resembled water drops.

"M-Marie?! Is that you?!" Nick exclaimed. "You're actually real this time, right?"

"I hope so," Marie giggled, resting Stormfall on her shoulder. "I've been looking for you forever!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Nick rushed over and hugged Marie tightly.

"H-hey, hey, what's with the sudden glomp all of a sudden?" Marie sputtered.

"I've been looking for you all over the place!" Nick exclaimed. "Do you know how many worlds I've been to trying to find you?"

"Hey, settle, okay? I'm all right," Marie laughed, returning Nick's hug. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"So you're the girl Nick's been talking about," Maylin quipped, just then noticing the keyblade that Marie was holding. "Whoa, whoa, when did you get a keyblade?!"

"Huh? Is that what this thing is called?" Marie wondered, looking at Stormfall curiously. "Honestly, no clue. When I woke up, this thing was in my hand and I found myself surrounded by those little freaks you guys were fighting. I just... well, I took 'em all out like I'd always known how to use this thing. Maybe that kind of knowledge just comes standard..."

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Nick quipped. "Now that we're together again, after all?"

"Maybe we can spar and see who's the best wielder of all of us," Maylin laughed.

"Yeah, you'd probably beat me," Marie responded. "I'm sure you guys have been through a lot more than I have."

"Yeah, we've been through some stuff," Haruka giggled. "Like that leech thing."

"Oh, don't remind me!" Maylin proclaimed.

Nick glanced back at Maylin and Haruka, knowing that Maylin was about to go on another tangent.

But when he looked back, Marie wasn't there anymore.

"What the heck? Where'd she go?" Maylin wondered.

"Damn it, and we just found each other, too..." Nick sighed. "Well, at least now I know she's okay."

"And if she has a keyblade, she shouldn't need to worry about the Heartless," Haruka stated.

"Here's hoping," Nick replied.

As the trio prepared to take their leave of the Third District, they noticed the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures talking to each other inside a nearby house.

"Wonder what's up?" Haruka wondered.

"Let's go find out," Maylin quipped.

Naturally, the Pretty Cures were excited to see them, with Cure Princess already chatting excitedly about the adventures they had been on before coming to Traverse Town.

It was here where the trio finally learned why the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures had wound up in Traverse Town; they had just freed Cure Princess' home world, the Blue Sky Kingdom, from the tyranny of the Phantom Empire, only for the kingdom (and subsequently, their Earth as well) to be attacked by the Heartless and swallowed by darkness. Their mentor, Blue, had just barely managed to save them by bringing them to the Embassy, which rested outside of their world. Though initially they were stuck there, Blue had been able to open a mirror that would take the group to Traverse Town, so they could help out others who had lost worlds to the Heartless.

"That was a year ago," Cure Lovely finished. "We've just been biding our time here in Traverse Town, waiting to find a way to restore our world."

"That was when we learned about the keyblade," Cure Honey explained. "We relayed that news to Blue, and he told us that the keyblade may have the power to restore our world."

"That was why I attacked you back then," Cure Fortune sighed, recalling the fight she and Nick had gotten into during his first trip to Traverse Town. "And I'm really sorry about that..."

"But now that you're here, there's hope that we can see our world again!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"But no pressure," Nick replied, causing everyone in the room to burst out into hysterical laughter.

Unknown to everyone in the house, Marie was watching the events unfold from afar, and standing next to her was the hooded woman from Beacon Academy and Tower 47.

"You see? It's just as I told you," the hooded woman proclaimed, spinning Darkgnaw in her hands. "While you toiled away trying to find your dear sibling, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you."

Marie wasn't sure if she believed that, as Nick had been very happy to see her.

"You think... you think something might have changed him?" Marie wondered.

"You're better off without that wretched boy anyway," the hooded woman stated. "Now, think no more of him and come with me. I'll help you find how to bring the boy back to normal..."

Doubts still swirling through her mind, Marie followed the hooded figure through a vortex of darkness.

 _Why? Why did he change so much?_

A few knocks on the door brought everyone to attention. Nick walked up to address the new guest, who turned out to be Kiva.

"All right, your navigation gummi's installed and ready to go," Kiva proclaimed. "If you find any more, just bring them to me and I'll set you up. I even threw in a warp gummi as a special bonus, so you can jump straight to worlds you've already visited. Well, I should be going. If you want to see what my real job in this town is, come find me in the First District."

And with that, Kiva walked out.

"And Kiva comes through again!" Maylin exclaimed. "That chick is seriously awesome."

"Argh, now I can't stop thinking about that stupid bell!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"Wait, bell?" Maylin wondered. "You mean the one that rang about an hour ago?"

"It's the one above the Gizmo Shop in the Second District," Cure Honey explained. "Apparently, there's some kind of legend about it."

"But it's all barricaded, so nobody can get there," Cure Lovely stated.

"Oh, I think we can take care of that," Haruka proclaimed.

"Go ahead, give it a shot," Cure Fortune stated. "Try ringing it three times and see what happens."

So, with no other lead to go on, the trio made their way back to the Second District, hopping on rooftops to make it to the barricade above the Gizmo Shop.

"Allow me to do the honors," Haruka giggled, bringing Divine Rose back before slashing forward, cracking the wood in multiple places and bending it inward. Haruka then simply grabbed the broken wood pieces and tossed them away.

Nick walked up to the rope that was coming down from the bell tower and pulled it. On the opposite end of the Second District, strange flames began to shoot from the fountain, lighting up the mural that made up the fountain's main attraction. Another pull doused the renegade flames and made the lights around the fountain blink to life. One final pull caused the mural to change, this time forming a bunch of butterflies surrounding a flower.

"Okay, that was it?" Maylin groaned. "Just a fancy effects show?"

The butterflies surrounding the flower shape quickly dispersed, exposing a gaping hole in the flower.

"Wait a minute, that's Traverse Town's keyhole!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's get over there and lock it up!"

The trio made their way back down to ground level and proceeded to make a mad dash for the keyhole. But just as they were about to reach it, a giant Heartless dropped from the sky to impede their progress.

"Oh, lordy, not you again!" Maylin exclaimed as the Guard Armor went on the offensive.

The giant Heartless struck first sending its arms out in a piercing forward motion, though Haruka was easily able to defend against the strike.

"Maylin, hit him while I've got it distracted!" Haruka shouted.

"Roger dodger!" Maylin replied, producing a strange-looking coin.

Nick intercepted a strike from the left foot so Maylin could concentrate.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, tossing the coin into the air and striking it with Spellbinder, as it fell down. The coin's ancient letters shined brightly before creating seven or eight points of light around it. Each point of light unleashed a wicked thunderbolt, all of them screaming through the air to strike the Guard Armor directly in its torso, forcing it backwards.

Nick took this opportunity to strike, slashing the two legs away from him before hacking away at the vulnerable torso.

Just then, the Guard Armor began to spin wildly, forming a sort of tornado around itself.

"Get back, Nick!" Maylin shouted, grabbing another magic coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!"

Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, and a current of wind wrapped itself around Nick just in time to protect him from the spinning Guard Armor.

"Nice save," Nick quipped.

"Don't mention it!" Maylin giggled.

Haruka, meanwhile, was fighting the Guard Armor's rogue legs. She continued to sidestep away to avoid the shockwaves that the armored feet produced with every step before jumping in to strike.

"Is it me, or are we experiencing some déjà vu?" Maylin wondered.

Just as Nick slashed at the torso again, something very strange happened. Though it didn't look anywhere near defeat, the Guard Armor fell to pieces that clattered noisily to the ground.

"Did we win?" Haruka wondered. "Because that was seriously anti-climactic."

Nick cautiously approached the fallen Guard Armor, ready to counterattack if need be, but the armor pieces suddenly began twitching before leaping back into the air. The Guard Armor's torso and legs flipped over, and the toes of its hammer-like feet curved inwards, forming makeshift hands.

"Okay, THAT'S a new trick!" Maylin shouted.

The helmet opened, revealing piercing yellow eyes that shined with an oppressive light as the Opposite Armor moved in to attack.

Haruka did a quick dive-roll away from a multi-claw swipe before rushing back in to attack the Opposite Armor's hands. After a few hits, the Opposite Armor retaliated with an overhead claw strike that Haruka couldn't dodge in time, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Wrong move, reverse boy!" Maylin shouted, leaping over to Haruka and using a Cure spell to get her back into fighting shape before firing off a pair of Thunder spells in retaliation. Surprisingly, the Opposite Armor didn't take as much damage as Maylin expected, only being slightly thrown back by the bolts.

"Oh, that's not good," Maylin quipped.

The Opposite Armor reared back to deliver a devastating mule-kick to Maylin, but Nick was over there in a flash, swiping upwards with lightning speed and stopping the attack cold.

Nick didn't give the Opposite Armor any time to recover, leaping in and slashing three times at the torso before jumping into the air to whack it in the head.

The Opposite Armor didn't take too kindly to this, swinging its fists out in rapid punches, but Nick parried each strike before countering with a Ripple Drive that knocked back all of the Opposite Armor's parts back.

"You okay, Haruka?" Maylin asked, helping Haruka to her feet.

"I should be," Haruka groaned, holding Divine Rose proudly. "That thing's gonna regret getting a cheap shot in."

Haruka immediately dashed into the fray, dodging through the feet's attempts to kick her into submission and slashing twice, each swing sending an energy blade into one of the feet, destroying them on contact.

The Opposite Armor backed away, its hands clutching the sides of its torso. The head began to bob around like a thing possessed as it aimed the wide end of its torso towards the trio, dark energy flowing from the empty space.

"Incoming beam thingy!" Maylin exclaimed, casting a Reflect spell in front of them just as the Opposite Armor expelled a powerful beam of darkness from its torso that screamed through the night air, thankfully being stopped by the prism-shaped barrier.

"We need to take this thing down quick," Nick quipped as he dodged through more dark beams. "I _really_ don't want to be doing this all night!"

"Well, then I think it's time we kick it up a notch," Maylin proclaimed, a spell coin already in her hand. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! STOP!"

A field of light surrounded the Opposite Armor, forming the shape of a clock, and when its hands ceased moving, the Opposite Armor stopped, frozen in time.

"RIOT!" Maylin shouted, and the three keyblade wielders closed in, hacking away at the frozen Opposite Armor from every possible angle they could, intending to inflict as much damage as they could.

When the Stop spell wore off, the Opposite Armor's hands exploded, leaving only the torso, but it still didn't look close enough to defeat. The Opposite Armor began to spin around, much like the Guard Armor had done, before zipping around the Second District in seemingly random patterns, keeping the trio on their toes.

"Get back here!" Maylin shouted, firing off a Thunder spell that missed by inches as the Opposite Armor flitted about, still spinning around. Maylin knew she wouldn't be able to hit it with another Stop spell with how fast it was moving.

As Nick dodged another spinning attack, he had a brainstorm and decided to start tailing the wildly moving Opposite Armor. When Nick felt he was close enough, he unleashed Sonic Blade, each dash homing in on the Opposite Armor, before finishing with a swift horizontal slash that sent the Opposite Armor tumbling.

"I think that did it! Let's get in there and finish it off!" Nick exclaimed. The trio all rushed in to deliver the final blow in an incredibly spectacular fashion, basically driving all of their keyblades into the Opposite Armor's head, then slashing upwards. The Opposite Armor twitched violently as its torso exploded violently and its eviscerated head crashed to the ground, evaporating into a large energy heart that escaped into the sky.

"Oh, yeah! That's how _we_ take care of business!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Well, that was fun, honestly," Haruka giggled. "Nice twist on an old enemy."

"Oh, don't even start..." Maylin groaned.

While Maylin and Haruka started their playful teasing again, Nick walked up to the mural and raised the Kingdom Key. Bright light shined from his keyblade and surged into the keyhole, locking it with a loud click. The keyhole then disintegrated into blue stars that faded out, leaving only a gummi block behind in its wake.

"Another one," Haruka quipped. "Let's go take it to Kiva."

"Wait, before we do that," Maylin interrupted, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two of her many spell coins. "Nick, I want you to have these. Basically, they're more magic spells for you. Specifically, the power of lightning and the power of wind."

"Hey, thanks, Maylin," Nick proclaimed, taking the spell coins and absorbing them into himself, feeling their magical power awaken within him.

"Say, Maylin, there's something I've always been wondering," Haruka asked as the trio walked back to the First District. "Don't you lose your spells whenever you give those coins to someone?"

"Who said I used multiple coins?" Maylin giggled. "I only use one coin for each spell. They don't run out of juice, so I can use them as much as I need to. I _have_ found some duplicates along the way, so I usually keep them as backups just in case something goes wrong, or if I want to give someone else magic."

"Then how did you use _two_ Thunder spells at once when you fried those Sniperwilds?" Haruka teased.

"Simple. I just hit the coin twice," Maylin laughed. "Easy, huh?"

The trio saw Kiva standing by the Accessory Shop, looking at a set of blueprints.

"Hey, now that was quick!" Kiva proclaimed as the trio approached her. "Now you know. I'm in the gummi block business so I can hopefully get back to my world when it's restored."

Kiva smiled brightly. "Working on your gummi ship was quite the experience. If you're ever in the market for gummi blocks, be sure to stop by and I'll give you a big discount."

"Thanks again!" Maylin giggled.

"Speaking of which, we found another navigation gummi after sealing the keyhole," Nick stated, showing Kiva the Navi-G Piece. "Could you do us a solid and install it for us?"

Kiva studied the block carefully. "Hmmm... looks like this is one of those navi-gummis that come in pairs. You have to find the mate to this one, otherwise it won't do you any good."

"Well, I guess we'll be back, then," Maylin quipped. "We're probably gonna be making lots of stops here in Traverse Town anyway, you know, supply runs and restocking and what have you."

"Don't be a stranger, then," Kiva laughed as the trio walked towards the giant doors, eventually finding themselves back in the Gummi Ship.

"Well, shall we set sail?" Haruka proclaimed. "We've got many more worlds to explore!"

"Hopefully Marie's on one of them," Nick noted to himself.

"Well, then, onward, brave explorers!" Maylin exclaimed. "Off to the next world!"

Before Haruka could get the engines started, the video screen flickered for a couple seconds before cutting to a video image of none other than Ruby Rose.

"Hey, guys!" Ruby exclaimed.

"ACK!" Maylin shouted, jumping in her seat. "How'd you get into our ship?"

"I'm calling from my scroll, silly!" Ruby laughed. "Haruka gave me your ship's communication codes before you left, so I could contact you if something came up."

"Well, what came up?" Haruka asked.

"Remember that coliseum we said we had?" Ruby stated. "Well, everything's all ready to go, so we can host tournaments if you want to test your skills!"

"Holy crap, I can't believe we almost forgot about that," Maylin sighed.

"Well, we _have_ been busy," Haruka admitted. "But I think we've got some time, so how about it, everybody?"

"You know it," Nick proclaimed. "We'll be there soon, Ruby."

"Roger that!" Ruby giggled, hopping up and down excitedly. "Meet us in Amity Coliseum whenever you arrive, okay? We'll break down the rules and other tedious stuff there."

"Acknowledged," Haruka stated. "Over and out."

With that, the transmission cut out, leaving Haruka to fiddle with the controls.

"All right, guys, what do you say we try out that warp drive that Kiva installed?" Haruka stated, activating the new warp system and watching the Gummi Ship be surrounded by a spiral of light.

"Warp Drive, activate!" Haruka exclaimed, slamming her hand on the Big Red Button™. The Gummi Ship disappeared in a flash of light.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Tatsumaki, the Tornado of Terror  
** _MP To Summon:_ 3  
 _Purpose:_ Overwhelm the enemy with powerful psychic attacks.  
 _Charge Gauge:_ Powers up Nick's attacks with every Heartless defeated while the summon is out.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Stormfront** , Tatsumaki traps all nearby Heartless in a vortex of psychic energy while Nick attacks from all angles.

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Well, time for our first detour!

Haruka: We're going back to Beacon Academy to participate in our first tournament, and it looks like it's gonna be a fun one!

Maylin: Ten rounds of Heartless bashing! Even if they're just simulated, it's definitely great practice for the road ahead!

Nick: My question is, who's the mystery opponent waiting for us at the end of the brackets?

Maylin: Hey, yeah, who is that?

Haruka: I guess we'll have to find out by fighting our way through. Here's hoping whoever they are is a strong one!

Maylin: Oh, _you_...

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Tournament Fighters"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	6. Tournament Fighters

"THIS IS SO COOL!" Maylin exclaimed as the Gummi Ship rocketed through a wormhole to warp back through the Lanes Between. In a flash of multi-colored light, the Gummi Ship emerged back into the lanes right in front of Beacon Academy.

"Seriously, Kiva is a freakin' _genius_ ," Maylin proclaimed. "If I'd have known that she was such an expert on gummi ships earlier, I would have dragged this baby there for _all_ the upgrades!"

"Um, you wouldn't be doing that without my express permission, silly," Haruka quipped, wagging her finger in Maylin's direction. " _I'm_ the pilot of this Gummi Ship, and so I make _all_ decisions on where to take the ship."

"Oh, sure, you only laid claim to it because _you built it_ ," Maylin shot back.

"Wait, you have to _build_ a Gummi Ship?" Nick gasped.

"Of course," Haruka replied, as if it was common knowledge, before realizing that Nick had most likely never even _heard_ of Gummi Ships before this whole adventure had begun. _Seriously, the Oracle never told those girls about it?_ "The blocks that make up a Gummi Ship are made of the very same material that allows us to travel between worlds."

"See, the Oracle wanted a, shall we say, backup plan to travel to different worlds in case a wielder of the Heart of Candracar was incapacitated or something," Maylin continued. "So one time, while he was waiting for a new Heart wielder to be chosen, he infused some of its power into these cool little things called Gummi Blocks. Since they were made of the same hoopla that lets the Heart open a portal in the Veil, they could also allow travel through the Lanes Between to other worlds."

"Basically, as I'm sure you know, it's our only method of traveling to other worlds now without the Heart," Haruka continued.

"Yeah, since the Guardians are stuck in Candracar and can't get out," Nick stated, remembering what Taranee had told him.

"Wait, you know they're all right?" Haruka exclaimed.

"One of them has a bit of telepathy," Nick answered. "She contacted me when I first arrived in Traverse Town and told me that they're all okay, but they can't leave Candracar since the Oracle's holding the Veil closed so the Heartless can't get in."

"Well, at least that's one for us," Maylin quipped. "I just hope the Oracle can _keep_ the Veil closed until this nightmare's over."

"Isn't that the truth," Haruka replied.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The trio has returned to Beacon Academy to take part in the first of many tournament-style battles at Amity Coliseum. Ready to test their skills, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka will face ten rounds of Heartless smashing to better prepare for the worlds ahead. But who is the mystery challenger that awaits at the end of the bracket?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 6: Tournament Fighters

"Ruby, you can seriously calm down now," Weiss proclaimed, watching her girlfriend hop around, unable to contain her excitement.

"Hey, I'm with sis," Yang replied, dusting her hands. "It's been far too long since the invasion, and I seriously feel like kicking some faces in, even if they're just simulated."

"Besides, I'm sure this'll be great practice for the Vytal Festival Tournament," Blake admitted.

"Ooh, it's gonna be so much fun!" Ruby exclaimed. "Hey, I think they're here!"

Sure enough, three beams of light descended from the sky, and Nick, Maylin, and Haruka popped out.

"Well, _that_ was weird," Nick proclaimed.

"Still not used to the tingling?" Maylin giggled.

"You've been piloting that Gummi Ship longer than I've even known they exist, so you probably got used to it quickly," Nick stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, guys, back so soon?" Yang teased.

"I don't think it's been _that_ long, Yang," Haruka answered. "How long has it been for you guys?"

"Well, I think it's been about a week since we fought that giant beast thing," Ruby quipped. "So yeah, that long!"

"Guess time flows differently between worlds," Nick noted.

"So, I heard the coliseum's ready," Maylin proclaimed.

"Yep! Just follow us!" Ruby exclaimed, and so Team RWBY began to lead the trio through the hallways of Beacon Academy.

About halfway through their pre-determined path, the entire group was stopped in the courtyard by a loud squeal from nearby. Ruby was the first to catch a glimpse of what was happening; apparently, a group of boys wearing very medieval armor were surrounding a young girl with long rabbit ears. One of the boys was even tugging hard on the girl's ears, as if taunting her.

"Ugh, not him again," Ruby growled. "Why won't that jerk leave poor Velvet alone?!"

"I seriously want to break his legs before Nora does," Yang quipped.

Nick just stood there, taking in the scene in front of him. After a couple seconds, he came to a decision, clenching his fists tightly and marching towards the bullies.

"H-hey, where's he going?" Ruby gasped.

"Ooh, boy," Maylin stated, knowing what was likely to happen.

"S-stop it!" Velvet Scarlatina squeaked, trying in vain to free her rabbit ears from Cardin's death grip.

"Try and make me, _freak_ ," Cardin laughed, the rest of his team following suit.

"You heard the lady. Let her ears go _now._ "

Cardin and his team turned around and saw Nick standing there with an angry look on his face.

"And why should we?" Russel taunted. "You're in no position to be giving _us_ orders."

Nick's right hand began to twitch violently, just begging his instincts to let him cut loose.

"I'm only warning you one more time, jerks," Nick shot back. _"Let her go, or else."_

"Or else _what_?" Cardin proclaimed, tugging on Velvet's ears again.

Maylin and Haruka wisely decided to step back, motioning to Team RWBY to do the same.

Nick, in response, simply raised his right hand, the Kingdom Key flashing into his hand.

"All right, you made your choice," Nick challenged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You honestly think I'm scared of a giant _key_?" Cardin bellowed, swinging his mace around in an attempt to threaten Nick. He didn't even flinch.

"I dare you to try me," Nick shot back.

Cardin let out a bellowing war cry before rushing in to attack, slamming his mace down to the ground and unleashing a barrage of explosions straight for Nick.

Nick simply raised the Kingdom Key into the air and cast an Aero spell, currents of air wrapping around his body and forming a wind shield that harmlessly dissipated the explosions.

"What was that?" Nick teased before dashing in and going on the offensive, smacking Cardin around with each slash before finishing off with a Stun Impact that left Cardin dazed.

This game Nick the chance to deliver one final overhead strike that sent Cardin sprawling to the ground, seemingly out cold.

"Oh, boy, he just took our leader down," Russel stated, nearly paling at the sight.

"Who wants to be next?!" Nick shouted.

Not waiting for an answer, Nick charged into the fray, throwing out a Ripple Drive to knock Russel, Dove, and Sky away before they even knew what happened.

Russel was the first to leap to his feet, brandishing two oddly-shaped swords. "Why are you getting so cheesed over what we did to a stupid little Faunus?" Russel growled.

"I _really_ can't stand bullies," Nick shot back, reminiscing on the many times when he'd joined Cornelia and the other Guardians in their daily runs to keep Uriah and his gang in check. "That's all you need to know."

"But she's a stupid rabbit!" Russel stated.

"Okay, so she's got rabbit ears," Nick replied. _"What's your point?"_

Nick decided he wasn't going to hear any more of this, and ran forward before Russel could get his bearings, leaping into the air and striking at Russel with an aerial combo before finishing with a somersaulting attack.

Time seemed to slow down for Nick as he did this, but he noticed the tip of the Kingdom Key glowing, indicating he had just gained a new ability. As time started for him again, Nick added five more rapid-fire somersaulting attacks, light trailing from the Kingdom Key's tip to make it look like a circle of light around him, before finishing with an uppercut that knocked Russel out as well.

"Oof, that one had to hurt," Maylin quipped.

 _All right, let's call that one... Hurricane Period. Makes sense, after all,_ Nick thought before turning his attention to Dove and Sky.

"I'd give up now, if I were you," Nick taunted.

"Forget it!" Dove proclaimed, drawing his gunblade.

"They never learn, do they?" Nick sighed to himself before firing off a Thunder spell that threw Dove back a ways, though he recovered and dashed back into the fray.

"Okay, nice to see you're more resilient than those dorks," Nick quipped as he and Dove began to duel, throwing attack after attack at each other and not giving any ground.

After a few minutes of this odd duel, Nick took advantage of a drop in Dove's guard to knock his weapon aside before moving in with a Vortex that sent Dove flying into the stunned Cardin.

"And then there was one," Nick proclaimed as Sky drew his crescent-bladed halberd. "One last chance to run while you still can."

Sky just flourished his weapon before charging.

"Whatever," Nick groaned before leaping over Sky's stab attack. Nick landed behind Sky, wasting no time in attacking with four slashes before finishing off with a Ripple Drive, sending Sky into the pile with his other teammates.

"Now, unless you want some more, I suggest you _beat it_ ," Nick growled. "Because I swear I'll call for Nora, and you _know_ what she wants to do to you."

That was all that was needed to get Team CRDL to turn tail and run for their lives. Nick smirked before letting the Kingdom Key disappear and returning to his friends.

"And now I guess we know you don't like bullies," Blake quipped, trying and failing to hide her amusement at how easily CRDL had been laid flat.

"Trust me, you should have seen the bully hunting my friends and I did back in our world," Nick quipped. "Uriah was just the _worst_."

Nick turned back to Velvet, who was rubbing her rabbit ears to make sure they hadn't been damaged. "Are you okay, miss?"

"I should be," Velvet answered. "Thank you for helping me out."

"Hey, it's my pleasure," Nick replied. "As you probably saw from that smackdown, I _really_ don't like bullies. To me, it doesn't matter if you have animal ears or not, that doesn't give bullies the right to be such jerks. Hopefully that'll convince them to stay away from you from now on."

"And if it doesn't, we can always sic Nora on them," Ruby giggled. "She _still_ wants to break their legs for what they did to Jaune."

Velvet smiled as she reached for her camera and took a picture of Nick before walking away.

"All right, now that _that_ business is over with, let's get going, peeps!" Maylin proclaimed.

Velvet looked back at Nick and smiled a little brighter before dashing off to rejoin her teammates.

* * *

"Whoa, this place is _enormous_!" Haruka gasped, marveling at the sheer size of Amity Coliseum. It appeared to be almost as spacious as the entirety of Beacon Academy itself.

"I was surprised, too," Ruby laughed. "But down to business, welcome to Amity Coliseum! This is where we'll be holding the Vytal Festival Tournament in a few short months, so we'll probably be hitting up this place a lot to train for it!"

"Professor Ozpin finally got the simulators set up for training purposes, so you three can get to work anytime you're ready," Weiss continued.

"If you want to check out the championship brackets we've created, go right ahead!" Yang proclaimed. "Who knows, you may even find some really tough competitors at the end of the bracket."

"Just step on that warp pad to go to the arena itself," Weiss explained, gesturing to a glowing circle by the edge of the walkway. "Then use the console at the center of the arena to set yourself up."

"Good luck out there, guys!" Ruby giggled as the trio warped to the main arena.

Nick looked at the listings on the main console, sifting through the available options.

"Looks like the only tournament available right now is the 'Bronze Championship'," Nick noted.

"We'll probably have to win the available tournaments before we can compete in the later ones," Haruka stated. "Probably to ease us in so we're not fighting opponents that we're not ready for."

"Well, come on, then! I'm itching for a smackdown!" Maylin exclaimed.

"All right, all right, cool your jets, silly," Nick laughed, selecting the Bronze Championship from the menu. The console sank downward into the floor and the entire arena began to shift into a new configuration, now with what appeared to be a forest around the edges of the battlefield itself.

Nick, Maylin and Haruka summoned their keyblades, ready for a fight.

To Maylin's shock, a group of Heartless spawned right in front of them.

"Heartless?!" Maylin shouted.

"Don't worry, they're just simulated!" Ruby exclaimed. "Just take 'em down like you would normally!"

"Roger!" Haruka exclaimed, casting a quick glance to the gigantic viewscreen at the far north end of the coliseum. It currently showed the matchup, the three of them on one side, and the Heartless group on the other side.

This group consisted of three Soldiers and four Powerwilds, monkey-like Heartless that almost made Maylin think they were the Sniperwilds from Traverse Town. This group was nicknamed "Jungle Vice" by the viewscreen.

"All right, let's rock and roll!" Nick shouted, and the trio went to work, easily dispatching the Soldiers with a few attacks. The Powerwilds would prove to be a little trickier with their constant hopping around.

"Stay still, dang it!" Maylin growled, frying one of the Powerwilds with a Thunder spell.

Haruka whipped out a Strike Raid to defeat two of the Powerwilds before letting Nick finish the last one with a jumping attack.

Once the last Heartless was defeated, the viewscreen changed slightly and another group of Heartless spawned. This one consisted of one Powerwild, two Green Requiems, two Red Nocturnes, and five Yellow Operas, and was nicknamed "Monkey and Magic".

"Oh, _wonderful_ ," Maylin growled. "Have I mentioned that I FREAKIN' HATE enemies that are immune to my magic?!"

"This is why you try to balance magic with combat, Maylin," Haruka giggled as she immediately went for the Green Requiems. "I've told you that for two years."

"Okay, then let's see them nullify _this_!" Maylin shouted, reaching for a new spell coin that she hadn't used in a while. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! GATHER!"

Maylin struck the spell coin, and an orb of refracting light appeared above the mages, drawing them in and trapping them within the sphere of energy.

"Okay, you two, go and clean up while they're stuck!" Maylin exclaimed, and Nick willingly obliged, making short work of the mages with a Sonic Blade attack.

"And _that's_ why you don't mock Magnet spells," Maylin proclaimed as Haruka split the Powerwild in half with a vertical slash.

The third group of Heartless immediately spawned, this one named "Big Feet" and consisting of four Powerwilds and one Hammerlegs, which appeared to be just the hammer-like feet of the Guard Armor from way back.

"Ooooookay..." Maylin quipped. "That's new."

The Hammerlegs quickly started throwing various kicks, forcing the trio to block where they could.

All the while, the Powerwilds continued to hop around, shooting various projectiles while the trio was distracted. Though they didn't do much damage at all, Nick could easily see that they were all getting annoyed.

Maylin countered a jab from the Hammerlegs with an upward slash attack that destroyed them. This just left the Powerwilds, which continued to hop around and stay out of range.

"Okay, screw this," Nick proclaimed, firing off a Thunder spell that destroyed two Powerwilds who jumped at the wrong time. He followed this up by switching to Signal Beacon and shooting a Fire spell at one of the Powerwilds, then a Blizzard spell at the other.

"Nice work," Maylin giggled.

"Practice makes perfect," Nick replied as the next group of Heartless, "Magic Alert", spawned, consisting of five Red Nocturnes and five Yellow Operas.

"ARGH, not again!" Maylin shouted, swiping at one of the Yellow Operas, only for it to dodge away quickly. Haruka stopped that by jumping in while it was distracted and slashing straight through it.

Nick and Haruka quickly alternated their attacks to make it through this round, trying not to laugh at Maylin's angry expression.

The next group was "Nightwalkers", consisting of five Powerwilds and one Large Body.

"Oh, great, I hate these things, too!" Maylin shouted, quickly leaping at one of the Powerwilds.

"Hmmm, I wonder..." Nick thought, aiming Signal Beacon for the Large Body and firing off a Thunder spell. The bolt didn't destroy the Large Body, but it clearly did a lot of damage.

"Hey, girls, these tub-o-lards really don't like magic, no matter which way they're facing," Nick quipped, winking at the growing grin on Maylin's face.

"That's all _I_ need to hear," Maylin proclaimed, using a Thunder spell of her own that finished off the Large Body, allowing the trio to make short work of the Powerwilds.

The sixth group came pretty quickly, this one named "Hard Hitters" and consisting of four Shadows, three Blue Rhapsodies, and one 'Gauntlets', the spiked hands of the Guard Armor.

"Is that weird to anyone else?" Maylin quipped.

Haruka backflipped over a Blizzard spell from the Blue Rhapsodies, coming down with a spinning slash that destroyed two of them. "When you've seen as much as we have, nothing really fazes you, huh?"

"Point there," Nick replied, easily mopping up the Shadows before blasting the last two Blue Rhapsodies with a Ripple Drive.

This just left the Gauntlets, which began to throw lightning-fast jabs that forced Maylin to cast a Reflect spell around them. The Gauntlets continued to hammer against the barrier to no effect.

"Watch this," Maylin giggled, waiting for a few more punches before thrusting Spellbinder to the sky, shattering the Reflect barrier and creating an explosion of bright lights all around the trio that instantly shredded the Gauntlets.

"Whoa," Nick gasped.

"Like it?" Maylin giggled. "That's my favorite thing about Reflect magic; if the barrier absorbs enough damage, I can just flick Spellbinder and send all that damage back _double_. Really useful when you're stuck in a crowd of those buggers."

"Let's hope it stays useful," Nick replied as the next group, "Indomitable", spawned, consisting of two Large Bodies and six Green Requiems.

"You know what, _no_ ," Maylin proclaimed, casting a Magnet spell and trapping the Green Requiems. The Large Bodies didn't seem affected by the Magnet spell, just standing there and waiting.

Maylin and Haruka took this opportunity to hack away at the Green Requiems while Nick went to work on the two Large Bodies with a Sonic Blade attack.

"Jeez, these things are hardy," Nick quipped when he saw that both Large Bodies were still there, most likely due to the Green Requiems. To rectify that, Nick quickly fired off a Thunder spell to blast one of the Large Bodies to dust before flipping over and delivering a flying slash to the other one.

By the time Nick was done with the Large Bodies, there were still two Green Requiems left. Nick leapt in and struck with a Hurricane Period, finishing off the mages.

Group eight, "Wild Corps", spawned soon enough, consisting of the Gauntlets, the Hammerlegs, and four Powerwilds.

"Wow, this tournament really likes the monkey boys," Haruka quipped.

"Let's just finish them off before any more of those stupid mages show up," Maylin replied, casting a Reflect barrier around herself as the Gauntlets and Hammerlegs attacked her.

Nick and Haruka got into position, letting the Powerwilds get closer.

Once the Heartless thought they had them cornered, Nick and Haruka spun around and sliced through the empty air, creating a cutting light circle around them that sent the Powerwilds flying in many directions.

Nick and Haruka immediately went to work before the Powerwilds could pick themselves up, attacking with such force that their swings actually created blades of light to cut down whatever their keyblades hit.

After a while of this, Nick and Haruka held their keyblades to the sky, charging them with energy before slamming them down to the ground, creating a shockwave that finished off the Powerwilds.

"Got a name for that one?" Maylin quipped as she shattered the Reflect barrier, the explosion of light destroying both of her opponents.

"Blade Ballet," Nick and Haruka stated at the same time.

"See? Giving combinations names makes it more personal!" Maylin stated.

Group nine, "Shadow Battalion", spawned in, consisting of four Yellow Operas, four Blue Rhapsodies, and one Armored Torso, basically the torso of the Guard Armor.

"How many more mages do we have to fight?!" Maylin shouted, hacking away at the Armored Torso.

"Just suck it up, Maylin, we're almost there," Haruka stated as she and Nick performed another Blade Ballet to wipe out the mages, leaving only the Armored Torso.

Maylin quickly fired off a Thunder spell into the Armored Torso, followed by Nick shooting a Fire spell from Signal Beacon and Haruka finishing the tag attack with a flying overhead strike to destroy the Armored Torso.

"All right, final round!" Maylin exclaimed. "What Heartless are showing up this time?"

Haruka looked up at the viewscreen, which only showed them, a giant question mark where their opponent would be.

"Hey, what's with the viewscreen?" Haruka quipped. "Shouldn't it be showing our final opponent or opponents?"

"It's probably meant to be a surprise," Nick stated. "All right, whoever our opponent is, come on out and play! We're ready for you!"

A few seconds of silence passed, followed by a whooshing noise that sounded like someone was jumping through the air, then the sounds of footfalls nearby.

"You wanted it, you got it!"

The trio spun around and saw that they had been joined by Ruby, who had her scythe out and ready.

"Hey, Ruby, what's up?" Maylin asked. "What's with the sudden tag-in?"

Ruby's next words surprised all three of the keyblade wielders.

"I'm your last opponent!"

"W-wait, YOU were the mystery guy at the end of the bracket?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Yeah," Ruby answered. "Professor Ozpin said it would be good experience to go up against an actual opponent from time to time. Wouldn't want it to just be Heartless or Grimm, right?"

"Good point there," Haruka admitted.

"Well, just let me know when you're ready, 'kay?" Ruby giggled.

"Hold on just a second," Maylin stated, whipping out a new spell coin and casting Cura, an upgraded from of her Cure spell. A bright field of green light surrounded the trio, healing them back to full strength. "Okay, _now_ we're ready."

"Give us a good show, Ruby," Haruka stated.

Ruby smirked, ready for a fierce battle. "Oh, you better believe I will!" Ruby proclaimed, spinning Crescent Rose multiple times before planting it into a battle stance.

 **("Red Like Roses, Pt. II" by Casey Lee Williams & Sandy Lee Casey plays)**

Ruby immediately went on the offensive, dashing forward with such overwhelming speed that Nick barely had any time to get his keyblade up in a defensive stance, and even then, he could feel the impact from Crescent Rose on the Kingdom Key.

"Holy _crap_ , she's fast!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick quickly performed a spinning slash to put some distance between himself and Ruby before going on the offensive, but Ruby seemed to favor spinning Crescent Rose in front of her so he couldn't get any closer.

Maylin took that into her own hands, unleashing a Thunder spell, only for the spinning Crescent Rose to easily deflect the spell.

"Okay, so this isn't going to be easy," Maylin quipped.

Ruby leaped into the air, firing a few shots from Crescent Rose and forcing the trio to scatter so they didn't get blasted. On the way down, Ruby lashed out with her scythe blade and actually struck true, this slash sending Nick about halfway across the arena.

Despite the fears of his partners, Nick quickly recovered, shaking off the attack and rushing back into the fray.

Nick and Ruby began to duel, trading attacks at blinding speeds while Maylin and Haruka could only watch for the moment. Even so, Nick was still hard-pressed to keep up with Ruby's constant slashes, as the young reaper was swinging with ferocious speed, no doubt aided by her semblance.

Suddenly, Nick noticed a tell in Ruby's lightning-fast barrage of attacks, and decided to take advantage of it, stabbing outwards to get Ruby to block the attack before leaping overhead and firing off a Thunder spell straight downwards. At this close range, Ruby didn't have time to dodge and was blown a few feet back. The large viewscreen indicated that Ruby had lost about twenty percent of her aura from that attack, indicated by a health bar like you would see in a video game.

Nick simply waved his hand in the universal gesture of "bring it" as Ruby recovered and dashed back in, switching Crescent Rose to gun mode and firing a barrage of explosive shells.

"Nick, think fast!" Maylin exclaimed, tossing Nick a Reflect spell coin. Nick quickly caught it and used it to cast a Reflect spell around him, shielding him from the explosions.

Still, Ruby kept shooting the explosive bullets, obviously hoping to wear down the shield and open Nick up to an attack. And it seemed to be working, as cracks eventually began to show in the barrier.

"You can't stay in that thing forever!" Ruby proclaimed, still firing explosive shells while moving closer to do more damage to the barrier.

"Who said I have to?" Nick quipped.

A question mark appeared over Ruby's head, but by the time she figured it out, she knew it was too late and cursed her own carelessness. Nick raised the Kingdom Key and shattered the Reflect barrier, creating an explosion of light around him that threw back all the damage Ruby had done to the barrier and doubled it, draining Ruby's aura to about fifteen percent.

Knowing she couldn't take another hit like that, Ruby began to dash around the arena like a maniac, not allowing Nick to get a bead on her.

"Okay, this could be tricky," Nick admitted.

"I think I can help with that," Maylin giggled. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! GATHER!"

Maylin aimed for just behind Ruby and cast a Magnet spell. The reaper noticed she was being pulled back into the orb of energy, and began to push her semblance further just to get away from the magnetic field.

"All right, get in there and finish it!" Haruka shouted. Nick didn't need another reminder, dashing in while Ruby was still distracted by outrunning the Magnet spell and delivering the final blow with an overhead slam, causing Ruby to crash to the ground just as the Magnet spell faded.

A loud buzzer signaled the end of the battle, as Ruby's aura was down to about seven percent, and the rules stated that whenever a combatant was down to ten percent of their aura or less, that would be the end of the battle so as to avoid any accidental fatalities.

To everyone's surprise, Ruby started laughing.

"That... was... AWESOME!" Ruby shouted, jumping to her feet so her aura could start replenishing itself. "I knew you'd be an awesome opponent!"

"So, good game, I take it?" Nick teased.

"Oh, _definitely_ ," Ruby giggled, shaking Nick's hand. "In fact, I wanted to give you this, as your reward for clearing the tournament and giving me one of the best matches I've had in a while."

Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial of small purple Dust.

"It's gravity dust," Ruby explained. "Really cool stuff, actually."

Nick accepted the vial and opened it, letting the Dust absorb itself into him and fill his body with a new power.

Maylin immediately went to the console, adjusting the settings and making a group of Powerwilds spawn so Nick could try out his new spell.

Nick was immediately on it, raising the Kingdom Key to the sky and then slamming it down, creating a dome of dark purple energy around the Powerwilds that flattened them.

"Oh, sweet!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Now you know why I love the Gravity spell," Maylin laughed. "So, I guess that's the only tournament available right now?"

"For the moment," Ruby replied. "We'll call you when there's a new tournament ready to go! After that show, I'm psyched to see you guys in the next one!"

"We'll take you up on that," Maylin answered. "But for now, we really should get going. The worlds are calling, after all."

"Don't be a stranger!" Ruby giggled.

"I could say the same to you," Ruby replied, causing the whole group to burst out laughing.

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Haruka admitted, now back at the controls of the Gummi Ship. "I _definitely_ wasn't expecting to fight Ruby at the end of that."

"Makes me wonder which of them we'll face next," Maylin stated as the Gummi Ship roared to life. "I seriously wanna go head-to-head with Weiss! Two magic knights, fighting for all the marbles! Wouldn't _that_ be awesome to see?"

"Let's keep those thoughts safe until the next tournament, 'kay?" Nick replied. "Wouldn't want to waste all that energy right now when we've got worlds to help, right?"

"Good point," Maylin quipped. "Well, then, on that note, off to the next world!"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Well, this next stop is rather... interesting.

Haruka: How do you figure? It doesn't look any different than some of these other places.

Maylin: Oh, really? You try explaining the big bad wolf, a giant demon brute, and this little tiny hag trying to corrupt people's dreams!

Nick: Well, that's all the convincing I need. Let's go check things out.

Haruka: Hey, look, those girls are going after the fairytale freaks!

Maylin: All right, just answer me this... what the heck kind of name is the "Glitter Force"?!

Nick: Probably just a personal thing. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "The Way to a Happy Ending"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	7. The Way to a Happy Ending

"Upside-down waterfalls?" Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship flew through a collection of floating islands on their journey to the next world. " _Now_ I've seen everything."

"Yeah, the Lanes Between can get a little trippy at times," Maylin quipped as a bunch of Heartless ships surrounded the Gummi Ship, only for Haruka to activate the force field and shred them all.

"Hold on, everybody, we've got a Big One just up ahead," Haruka stated, gesturing towards a gigantic Heartless ship a few miles ahead. It resembled a mobile fortress with four legs and multiple powerful laser cannons.

"Ooh, _that_ doesn't look good," Nick groaned.

"That's a lot of lasers," Maylin noted, hoping Haruka would get the message. "I'm not sure that Highwind could dodge that many."

"Then let's take it down before it gets that chance," Haruka replied, turning the Big Red Button™ like a dial before dramatically pushing it with her fist. The Gummi Ship began to change in response, transforming into something resembling a purple and yellow fighter jet. In addition, two smaller ships burst to life on either side of the Gummi Ship.

"Let's take down the Big One!" Haruka exclaimed, and the Gummi Ship flew towards the giant Heartless, maneuvering through its laser shots and retaliating with large and extremely powerful cannon-like shots resembling sparkles. The blasts cut through the lasers and struck true, causing massive damage to the Heartless ship. The Teeny Ships also added to the barrage, firing off explosive shots whenever the Gummi Ship did the same.

"One more should do it," Haruka stated, firing off a final cannon shot to the Heartless' core, causing it to explode with much pageantry.

"Wow, that was over quick," Nick quipped as the Heartless ship disintegrated.

"That's usually what we save the Falcon Mode for," Haruka explained. "Falcon Mode basically triples our offensive power at the cost of some defense, for when we need to get a big guy out of the way _right stat now_."

"Hey, guys, new world dead ahead!" Maylin exclaimed. "It looks like a library... inside a giant tree. Okay, then..."

"Let's check it out, then. Prepare for landing!" Haruka proclaimed.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The city of Rainbow Hills is the next stop for our intrepid explorers. Nick is already ready to stop the plots of evil fairytale villains, even alongside a group of magical warriors known as the Glitter Force, but the bad guys of the Shadow Realm seem to be a lot stronger nowadays. And it seems that the strange hooded woman may have a connection to events in this world. What does she want with the worlds, and why does she think Nick is too young to wield a keyblade?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** All right, before you Pretty Cure fanatics get all up in my grill about why I'm using Glitter Force, the Saban Brands adaptation of Smile Pretty Cure, instead of the original, I've been watching Glitter Force a lot lately, especially with the second half now available, and I'm hooked. I think it's actually a really good adaptation. Guys, Saban is not 4Kids or, god forbid, Nelvana (I'm STILL salty about what they did to Cardcaptor Sakura, even fifteen years later). Also, since I've already got a Pretty Cure team in this story (Happiness Charge), I figured I'd use the Glitter Force for this bit. I'm not turning this into an All-Stars movie. Are we cool? Okay, let's proceed.

* * *

Episode 7: The Way to a Happy Ending

"Whoa, talk about a massive library!" Maylin exclaimed as they landed in the library they'd seen from the Lanes Between. "I've never seen so many books in one place!"

"Taranee would be in heaven, I assure you," Nick quipped, gazing around to make sure everything was on the up-and-up. Often, their travels had barely gotten started before the Heartless decided to show up and crash the party.

"I just realized something," Haruka stated. "Is there any way out of this place? Because I don't see a door or any lock we can undo."

Nick looked up to the sky at that remark; this place was absolutely massive, and yet there seemed to be no way to exit, like Haruka had said.

"Okay, that presents a problem," Nick proclaimed.

And almost like clockwork, Heartless began to spawn around the trio, consisting mostly of Soldiers, Powerwilds, and a new Heartless that appeared to be a small figure reading a book at least three times its size.

"And _that's_ an even _bigger_ problem!" Nick shouted, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands.

"Those creeps with the big books are Pagemasters," Haruka explained. "They like to attack with their pages, and they HURT, so cut up the book and they'll be helpless."

Nick nodded before going on the offensive and slashing at the Pagemaster's book as Haruka had advised, only for it to take two pages and form a sword that Nick was just barely able to dodge.

"Cheap shot," Nick growled before jumping and attacking with a Hurricane Period that destroyed the Pagemaster. Turning his attention to the other Heartless, Nick leaped in with a flying slash to separate the horde.

"Eat lightning, soldier boy!" Maylin shouted, firing off a Thunder spell to wipe out two Soldiers before jumping over to attack the Powerwilds. But true to form, they just kept hopping around to dodge any attack thrown at them.

"Oh, forget this. GATHER!" Maylin shouted, casting a Magnet spell and scooping up the Powerwilds so the trio could take care of them.

Once the Powerwilds were defeated, more Heartless spawned, mostly a bunch of Red Nocturnes and Blue Rhapsodies.

"Damn it, not these things again!" Maylin exclaimed, swinging Spellbinder angrily.

Thankfully, Nick had an idea, raising his keyblade to cast the spell he'd learned from Ruby after the Bronze Championship. "FORCE!" Nick shouted, snapping the Kingdom Key down and surrounding the mages with a dome of purple energy, flattening them into the ground. "Well, they're not immune to _that_."

Maylin quickly moved in to mop up, making short work of them while they were vulnerable. And finally, the swarm decided to end.

"I swear, it's like whoever's controlling the Heartless _knows_ I don't like those stupid mages because they nullify what's essentially my entire fighting style!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That settles it, Maylin," Nick quipped. "When we get some down time, I'm gonna have to teach you how to actually fight with that keyblade of yours, instead of just using it for magic."

"It's not my fault that's how I was taught..." Maylin groaned, though she quickly regained her sunny smile. "But I think I'll take you up on that, Nick! I've always wanted to be a magic knight type, the kind who kicks face with both sword _and_ spell..."

As Maylin continued to babble, none of the trio noticed the five teenage girls who had appeared literally from a nearby bookshelf.

"What's going on here?" Kelsey quipped, a little confused.

"You don't think they're from the Shadow Realm, do you?" Chloe wondered.

"They already would have attacked us if they were," Emily replied. "That's like, the rule, after all."

"But how did they find the library?" April asked. "We're supposedly the only ones who know of it."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," Lily answered, being the first to start walking towards the trio.

"You should have seen some of the guys in Candracar, Nick," Maylin stated, waving her hands wildly. "They were just amazing the way they spun through the air while trailing _burning fire_ behind them! It's like those guys really know magic! That's the kind of mage that I want to be someday, someone who's on par with the old keyblade masters..."

"Wait, there's such a thing as a keyblade 'master'?" Nick gasped. "Boy, do I have a lot of history to learn here..."

"It's not really that complicated," Haruka explained. "A keyblade master is someone who's been wielding the keyblade long enough to unlock all of its secrets. They can also pass down their teachings to pupils like we were. It's often said that only a true master can teach you the proper way to wield a keyblade."

"So, since we're on that subject, who taught you two?" Nick wondered.

"Himerish, of course!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Wait, the _Oracle_ is a keyblade master?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Pretty much," Maylin answered. "He doesn't really use his keyblade much nowadays, since he's so busy running Candracar, but if he ever _does_ pull it out, that's a sign that it's goin' _down_."

"Um, excuse me?"

Maylin turned around, only to nearly jump back in shock at the sight of Lily being so close to her.

"We were wondering when you'd notice us," April laughed.

"Well, we _were_ kinda caught up in our own thing," Haruka admitted.

"I think the big question here is, how did you find the Library of Legends?" Chloe asked.

That caused the trio to realize their own dilemma.

"Actually... we were hoping you knew the way out," Maylin stated. "We kinda disembarked in the wrong place and got stuck..."

"Of course! Just watch what I do!" Emily proclaimed, walking up to a bookshelf that was behind the trio and shifting the books in very specific ways. Each time a book was moved, a click could be heard, until the entire shelf began to glow with a pink light.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this part?!" Nick exclaimed just as the bookshelf sucked everyone into it. When they could see again, they were apparently back out in the city, having popped in from a bookcase that belonged to one of the stores in the residential district.

"Whoa, that was weird," Maylin quipped, a little dizzy from the rapid transit. "Is that another bit you've gotta get used to?"

"Well, mostly," Lily admitted.

"Okay, since I need to ask, because that's pretty much what I do, what was that place?" Haruka wondered.

All eyes were on Emily, being that she was the leader. Before Emily could squeak out an explanation, Heartless began to spawn all around the group, consisting mostly of Shadowulfs and Soldiers alongside one or two Pagemasters.

"Oh, great," Maylin groaned, summoning Spellbinder to her hands. "Can we _not_ have a swarm of these things popping up every time we try to make a conversation?!"

"Let's just mop 'em up before we have to answer any more unwanted questions," Nick quipped, getting into position with Maylin beside him as Haruka went to work on the Pagemasters.

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as the Shadowulfs surrounded them. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Kingdom Key above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Shadowulfs flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging more Shadowulfs. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Shadowulfs while Nick slammed Kingdom Key into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Heartless as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnet spell to gather the Shadowulf horde together. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive the Kingdom Key down in a final attack that spiked the Shadowulfs down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

"Boom!" Kelsey couldn't help but shout as the last Heartless was destroyed.

"Boom indeed," Haruka giggled.

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted as a much larger Heartless galloped through a vortex of darkness, this one resembling an ancient dragon, only it was nothing but the skeleton. The Heartless symbol was imprinted on both of its wings.

"Ooh, man, that's a big one," April quipped, wisely stepping back.

"What kind of Buffoon is _this_?" Chloe wondered.

"You girls may want to stand back," Nick stated. "This is gonna get ugly."

The Bone Wyvern stared down at the trio, snorting in defiance before breathing a wave of dark fire that forced them to back off.

"Yeah, nice try, buddy," Maylin quipped, casting Aero on herself and dashing through the fire, her wind shield protecting her, before leaping into the air to slash at the Bone Wyvern's face. The emaciated beast stomped its feet in retaliation, creating shockwaves along the ground.

Haruka was already on the offensive, leapfrogging off of Maylin's shoulders to slash at the wings a few times, hoping to disable that particular option for their opponent.

The Bone Wyvern was smarter than she thought, though, and spun around to slash at Haruka with its wings. Only a quick turn of Divine Rose spared Haruka from a nasty slice.

Before Haruka could get her bearings, however, the Bone Wyvern reared back and charged forward, catching Haruka across the shoulder and knocking her down.

Maylin immediately responded by firing a Thunder spell into the Bone Wyvern's face, but it simply shrugged off the damage and roared so loudly that Maylin had to plant Spellbinder into the ground just to keep from being blown away by the force.

"Dang it, this isn't working!" Nick shouted, feinting through a couple claw strikes to land three hits on the Bone Wyvern's chest. "It's got too much defense!"

"Well, then how about we give it a shot?" Emily quipped. "Ready, girls?"

Nick quickly stopped in his tracks to try and talk the girls out of it, but stopped in his own tracks when he saw them in the middle of a strange transformation.

 _"Glitter Force Makeover!"_ the five girls shouted, their bodies bathed in magical light that forced the Bone Wyvern to back off. When the light cleared away, the girls were now dressed in elaborate uniforms that reminded the trio of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures back in Traverse Town.

 _"A fabulous shimmer, a glow in your heart! I'm Glitter Lucky!"_ Emily proclaimed.

 _"When you mess with me, you're playing with fire! I'm Glitter Sunny!"_ Kelsey shouted.

 _"Puppies and kittens, the power of love! I'm Glitter Peace!"_ Lily exclaimed.

 _"A force as strong as life itself, I'm Glitter Spring!"_ April chanted.

 _"Cool and swift as the winter wind, I'm Glitter Breeze!"_ Chloe announced.

Their individual poses complete, they all lined up to perform their group pose, rainbow light shining from them as they did so. _"Time to blaze our way to a happy ending! Shining bright, here comes the Glitter Force!"_

"Nice intro," Nick teased.

"Compliments later, Nick! That thing's coming back again!" Maylin shouted, pointing to the charging Bone Wyvern.

Glitter Peace was the first to go on the attack, raising her right hand and using her finger to draw a circle of electricity in the air above her. "Take this! _Sparkle Lightning!_ " Glitter Peace shouted, drawing the electricity into her hands and spinning a couple times before firing it towards the Bone Wyvern as a jagged bolt of lightning. The Sparkle Lightning struck the Bone Wyvern in the chest, stopping its charge instantly and causing it to take a few steps back.

"Hey, I think we found a weak spot!" Maylin exclaimed, firing off a Thunder spell of her own into the same spot that Glitter Peace had hit, making the Bone Wyvern roar in pain.

"Let's keep the ball rolling, then," Glitter Spring teased, a sphere of wind energy forming in her hands. She let it drop before bouncing it around with her feet a few times.

 _"Sparkle Shot!"_ Glitter Spring shouted as she leaped into the air and soccer-kicked the energy sphere into the Bone Wyvern's chest, making it reel. This delay in its attack gave Haruka all the time she needed to leap onto the Bone Wyvern's back and precisely strike at the beast's wing joints, causing the wings themselves to fall off and vanish into darkness.

"We've got a pattern! Let's keep it up!" Haruka shouted, jumping back down to safe ground before the Bone Wyvern could turn around and bite her.

Glitter Sunny dashed forward, leaping skyward and creating a sphere of fire in her hands. She looked down from her position at the Bone Wyvern's head.

"Here's hoping you know how to play ball! _Sparkle Fire!_ " Glitter Sunny shouted, spiking the fire sphere like a volleyball. The attack screamed through the air and exploded when it reached the Bone Wyvern's forehead, driving the beast into the ground.

Glitter Breeze let ice energy swirl around her hand, drawing a snowflake shape with it. _"Sparkle Blizzard!"_ Glitter Breeze shouted, unleashing a wave of bitter cold towards the Bone Wyvern, freezing it in its place so Nick could hop in and get a few solid hits in.

As Nick struck at the beast, an idea popped into his head. After a rising slash, Nick brought the Kingdom Key behind him, standing on one foot, before slamming it down in an overhead strike. Upon contact with the Bone Wyvern's head, a Gravity sphere exploded outward from the point of impact, forcing the beast to its knees.

"Leave it to Nick to improvise," Maylin giggled.

"Hey, don't knock Gravity Break until you've tried it yourself," Nick quipped.

Glitter Lucky took this chance for herself, drawing a heart shape with her hands and gathering the energy in her hands behind her. "You're mine! _Sparkle Storm!_ " Glitter Lucky shouted, firing off the energy in the form of a gigantic beam of light that screamed through the empty air and struck the Bone Wyvern in the forehead, knocking it on its back where it was helpless while it tried to reorient itself.

"Nick, get over there and finish that thing off!" Maylin shouted.

"You read my mind," Nick quipped, rushing in before the Bone Wyvern could right itself and delivering the final blow in the form of a horizontal slash to the forehead. The Bone Wyvern's struggles ceased and it flopped unceremoniously to the ground, disintegrating into nothingness. A giant energy heart floated into the sky from its remains.

"One more freak of nature roasted!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That was weird," Glitter Spring quipped. "It didn't release a Glitter Charm..."

"Was it one of those stupid blue noses, then?" Glitter Sunny groaned.

"Okay, maybe you should bring us up to speed here, because you're saying things that aren't making any sense to me," Nick stated, resting the Kingdom Key on his shoulder.

So, they did just that while returning to the Library of Legends. The Glitter Force explained that they had been appointed the chosen warriors of Jubiland, a realm that housed many fairytale characters, to defend it from the Shadow Realm, a group of fairytale villains that had become sick of being ostracized just for their roles.

"So that's why you thought it was a Buffoon," Maylin quipped once the Glitter Force had finished their story.

"But if they sent it, why didn't they show up in person?" Chloe asked. "That doesn't make sense..."

"That thing was a Heartless, monsters that are born from the darkness in people's hearts," Nick explained. "Though it sounds like something that the Shadow Realm would benefit from, I don't think they know what they're playing with. I actually _do_ have an idea on who may be controlling the Heartless, at least around here."

"Please tell me you're not thinking of that freak in the robe..." Maylin growled. "I'm already sick of thinking about her!"

"Wait, a hood?" Emily quipped. "Was it a black robe with a hood that covers her face?"

"Is she here?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Where did you see her?!"

"At school," Emily answered. "She was kinda creeping through the sports field, but I don't know if anyone even knew she was there. Is that bad?"

" _Very_ bad. That chick is nothing but trouble," Haruka explained. "She's been antagonizing us almost everywhere we've been on our journey, and we're starting to believe she can control the Heartless in some way."

"If you see her anywhere, let us know _on the double_ ," Maylin proclaimed. "We've got quite a few bones to pick with her."

"Roger that!" Kelsey proclaimed, flashing a thumbs up.

"So, is there anything else we can help you with?" Lily asked.

"Well, for starters, we've gotta find this world's keyhole," Nick stated. "If the Heartless find it first, this world is done for. We need to find it before those freaks do and lock it, so this world will be safe."

"Where do you think it would be?" April wondered.

"That's the one thing we don't know," Haruka replied. "That's why we're looking for it."

"Well, let's get going!" Emily shouted. "It's time for Operation Find the Keyhole!"

Nick just chuckled a bit at Emily's enthusiasm.

* * *

"What's keeping you, Brute?" Ulric proclaimed, already losing his patience with the fact that Brute still wasn't in the meeting room.

"I'm training, what does it look like?!" Brute shot back, swinging his club back and forth. "I won't lose to the Glitter Force _this time_!"

"Oh, sure, you say that every time," Brooha taunted, hard at work on one of her latest inventions. "And yet that wretched Glitter Force always finds some way to beat us!"

"Hey, at least we're able to collect negative energy for our emperor, despite what the Glitter Force does," Ulric replied. "When Emperor Nogo is revived, it doesn't matter how many charms they have, they won't stand a chance!"

A strange sound alerted Ulric to the fact that someone else was there with them. _Eh, probably just Rascal doing his own thing,_ Ulric thought.

"I wouldn't get so full of yourself if I were you."

That definitely wasn't Rascal's voice. Ulric turned on his heel, his claws at the ready, only to find a hooded figure standing there, carrying a key-shaped weapon.

"And who are _you_ , thinking we can't take that wretched Glitter Force down?!" Ulric challenged.

"And yet you have failed at every turn," the hooded woman proclaimed. "I don't see your point."

"And what do _you_ suggest, lady?" Brooha growled.

Though it couldn't be seen under her hood, the woman gave a truly evil little smirk.

"Why don't you fight the Glitter Force yourselves, instead of relying on your Buffoons to do your dirty work?"

Ulric paused to think. That was an option he'd never considered.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Ulric stated.

"But what if they stomp us anyway?" Brute shot back. "They always find some way to get past us!"

"That's what I'm here for," the hooded woman answered, summoning Darkgnaw to her hands. "I'm going to give you an edge against the Glitter Force and any _other_ unwanted elements that may show up."

The hooded woman channeled her power into Darkgnaw, aiming it for the three generals and surrounding them with wells of dark energy.

"Simply open your hearts to the darkness, and you will attain powers you have never dreamed of."

"Oh, that'll make it too easy," Brooha laughed. "But anything to finally defeat the Glitter Force!"

"What say we go test this new power out, my fellow baddies?" Ulric laughed.

And with that, the three generals teleported away to give their new powers a test run. The hooded woman glanced up at the perpetual night of the Shadow Realm.

"This proves to be interesting," the hooded woman proclaimed. "Even though I care not whether they win or lose. I know that boy is here. I _will_ make him see the mistake he is making with this power."

* * *

"Any sign of that keyhole thing?" Kelsey proclaimed once the entire team had regrouped.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Lily quipped. "Is there any specific place the keyhole can usually be found?"

"Honestly, we have no clue," Maylin answered. "It usually tends to pop up whenever we're close enough."

"Oh, by the way, I found this," Emily stated, handing Nick a strange page. "It was glowing, so I figured that wasn't normal."

"Hey, that looks like one of the pages from the storybook we brought to Kikyo!" Haruka exclaimed, examining the page to make sure that it was what they thought it was.

"Aki _did_ say the pages got scattered to many different worlds," Nick admitted. "How about we jump back to Traverse Town when we're done here?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick looked over his shoulder, back towards the school. That was a strange feeling he had just gotten.

"What's up, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"Did any of you just get a strange feeling?" Nick wondered. "Like, someone's watching you?"

As if something had been reading Nick's thoughts, the sky above them shifted to a cancerous shade of green. Nick looked around, and everyone around them had fallen to their knees, sounding like they had lost all of their will to live.

"Okay, what's going on here?!" Haruka shouted, summoning Divine Rose.

"It must be the Shadow Realm!" Lily exclaimed. "They're taking negative energy from the people so they can revive Emperor Nogo!"

Suddenly, that strange feeling flared up again, and Nick was ready this time, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands and swinging it to deflect a gigantic fist that was heading right for him.

The aggressor leaped back, what appeared to be a giant tree monster with clown-like makeup and face paint, and a bright red nose like you'd see on a clown.

"We're ready for you this time, Glitter Force!" Ulric shouted, appearing in mid-air and laughing maniacally. "Don't think you'll be able to defeat _this_ Buffoon so easily!"

"It looks just like the others," Kelsey taunted. "What makes you think this'll be any different?"

"Wait a minute, I think he's actually on to something," Haruka quipped, catching the Glitter Force's attention. "I'm sensing the power of darkness all around us."

"If that's true, this one could be tricky," Chloe stated. "Even if we transform, it may take a bit for us to be able to use our attacks again..."

"Seriously, that's _so annoying_ that we can only use them so much!" Emily exclaimed. "We'd be stomping these guys left and right if it wasn't for that stupid limit!"

Nick stepped up to the Buffoon, his keyblade at the ready. "How about I take this guy on until you're ready?"

"Sounds fun to me!" Kelsey quipped. "Go and take clown boy down!"

Nick nodded, turning back to the Buffoon. "Well, tree hugger, you ready to rock?"

The Buffoon leaped into the air in an attempt to smash down on Nick, but he was ready, leaping into the air to meet the Buffoon and knock it back to the ground with an overhead strike.

Maylin whipped her right hand out to summon Spellbinder before unleashing a Fira spell that set the Buffon ablaze. The Buffoon wildly flailed about, trying in vain to douse the flames, giving Haruka an opportunity to attack with a low sweeping slash, knocking the Buffoon on its back.

Nick quickly charged in, hoping to keep the pressure on, and delivered three quick slashes before using a Gravity Break to lock the Buffoon in its place.

"I think that'll do it!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'll take this one!" Lily proclaimed. _"Glitter Force Makeover!"_

Glitter Peace went on the attack almost instantly after transforming, raising her right hand and using her finger to draw a circle of electricity in the air above her. "Take this! _Sparkle Lightning!_ " Glitter Peace shouted, drawing the electricity into her hands and spinning a couple times before firing it towards the Buffoon as a jagged bolt of lightning. The Sparkle Lightning struck the Buffoon dead center, making its eyes go wide before exploding into sparkles of light, the only remaining piece being its clown nose which quickly dissolved to reveal a charm-like object.

"Um, what was that about this one being harder?" Kelsey teased as Candy leaped in to catch the Glitter Charm. "That was pathetic!"

Ulric just smiled wickedly. "Oh, but that was only round one, Glitter Force. Now we'll see how you stack up against _me_!"

Ulric dashed forward like lightning, his claws raised. Glitter Peace performed a quick cartwheel to avoid the attack.

"Whoa, I didn't think you guys would ever think to actually do your own dirty work," April proclaimed.

"Well, that hooded lady made a good point," Ulric responded as Brute and Brooha teleported in behind him, all three generals glowing with the unmistakable shimmer of darkness.

"Hooded lady?! So she's here?!" Maylin shouted. "Ooh, let me at her!"

"Sorry, but she's vanished," Brooha cackled. "Most likely left to cause some other kinds of chaos elsewhere."

"You fairytale freaks have no idea what kind of power you're playing with," Nick growled, brandishing the Kingdom Key. "Don't you realize that this lady doesn't give a crap about you?!"

"Like we care," Brute proclaimed. "As long as we have the power to crush the Glitter Force, who cares where we got it from?"

"Okay, I guess we're doing this the hard way then," Nick shot back. "I'll take all of you on!"

"Hey, hey, don't leave us out of the fun!" Maylin shouted as she and Haruka rushed over to join Nick, their own keyblades primed and ready.

"Very well, then," Brooha stated. "Let us begin!"

And with that, the two trios charged each other, each splitting off to attack their favored opponent.

"I'll smash you!" Brute shouted, attacking with an overhead strike that Haruka easily slapped aside.

"Don't be so sure," Haruka teased as she ripped forward with a quick slash of her own, stumbling Brute and allowing Haruka to strike at the demon's legs, causing him to clumsily fall over.

Haruka quickly retreated out of range and went into a Strike Raid, intending to cause as much damage as she could before Brute found his way back to his feet.

Sure enough, Brute leaped upright and began charging, each earth-shaking step resounding through the area. Haruka readied herself, and as Brute swung with unbelievable force, Haruka simply sidestepped the club and lashed out with a rising slash attack that knocked the heavyset demon into the air.

Not intending to waste her opportunity, Haruka leaped after Brute and began to attack without mercy, crescent slashes and upward chops and spinning attacks, everything she could possibly do in the air.

Haruka finished her barrage by spiking Brute downwards with an overhead strike from Divine Rose that sent Brute crashing into the ground, his body stuck in the concrete he'd imprinted himself in.

"Ouch, you hit hard," Brute groaned.

"Well, that's kinda my thing," Haruka replied, turning around to observe Maylin and Brooha's battle, the two wizards flinging spells every which way.

"Stand still, hag!" Maylin growled, firing off a Thunder spell that Brooha dodged easily. Brooha knew that in this form, she couldn't take much damage before going down, so she had to make this quick.

"Why don't you do the same?" Brooha cackled, chanting a time-freeze spell.

"Oh, forget it! You're _not_ mocking _my_ shtick!" Maylin proclaimed, casting a Gravity spell to drag Brooha to the ground before shooting another Thunder spell, this one finding its mark and blasting Brooha a few yards away.

Brooha quickly recovered, shook off the damage, and cast a wind spell underneath Maylin.

"Okay, now you're making me _mad_ ," Maylin proclaimed, aiming Spellbinder to the sky and casting a Thundara spell, a spark flying into the air. Moments later, as Brooha was preparing another spell, bolts of electricity rained down from the air all around her, causing severe damage and finally driving Brooha to the ground as well.

"Ugh... you... are quite the mage," Brooha admitted before losing consciousness.

"One of Candracar's best," Maylin proclaimed.

The Glitter Force could only watch in awe as Nick and Ulric dueled, lashing out with various attacks and giving back as good as they got.

"Why won't you just give up already?!" Ulric growled, swiping overhead, only for Nick to duck and strike back with a leaping slam.

"Because that'd be too easy for you," Nick shot back, juking to the side to avoid a right-side claw swipe before retaliating with a spin attack.

Ulric lunged forward with a stab attack, but Nick struck back with a Ripple Drive to put some space between them.

"Chew on this!" Ulric shouted, slamming his claws together and unleashing a shockwave of darkness for Nick, but he quickly cast an Aero spell to protect himself, the shield of wind dissolving the dark wave upon contact.

"How about _you_ chew on _this_?!" Nick shot back, casting a Gravity spell to force Ulric to his knees before unleashing a Sonic Blade.

After the Sonic Blade, Nick leaped into the air, coming down with the final blow that forced Ulric into a nearby tree.

"Now are you going to take the hint and back off?" Nick proclaimed. "Because I'm just getting started."

"Urk, that lady didn't mention you'd be involved in this," Ulric growled. "This isn't the last you'll see of us."

Ulric got to his feet, though a little shaky, and exercised some of his new powers to teleport all three of them away, swearing revenge as they disappeared. When the three generals were nowhere in sight, the sky returned to its normal shades of blue.

"And chalk up another one for us!" Maylin exclaimed. "When will they _ever_ learn?!"

"That demon guy was actually quite an opponent," Haruka admitted. "I'm glad I'm the one who got to fight him."

"Oh, don't even start with me," Maylin groaned. "It's the same old song and dance every time a strong fighter shows up!"

"All right, you two, enough with the bickering," Nick stated, effectively ending the tirade before it could begin. "We've still got a keyhole to find, remember?"

"Problem is, we _still_ have no idea where it could be!" Kelsey exclaimed.

"Maybe it would be in the school?" Lily wondered.

"Hey, good idea!" Maylin proclaimed. "The keyhole's usually part of something that means something to the world."

And so, the team began combing the school in search of the keyhole, eventually finding their way to the gymnasium after Nick had felt a strange energy drawing him that way.

"Wow, this is quite the gym," Haruka quipped.

"It gets a _lot_ of use, considering how many sports teams we've got," Kelsey admitted.

Nick's eyes were quickly drawn to a sparkle of magic light, following it up to the massive electronic scoreboard at the gym's opposite end. The myriad of electronic displays were going nuts, and at the center of the viewscreen was the keyhole itself.

"Well, now we know why it's on the fritz," April laughed.

Nick raised the Kingdom Key, its teeth shining brightly, and fired a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud clicking sound. The scoreboard stopped malfunctioning once the keyhole vanished.

"Another world saved," Nick quipped. "We are on a _roll_ today."

Candy leaped out of Emily's backpack and jumped onto Nick's shoulder, handing him the charm they'd won from the Buffoon. "I think this is yours," Candy stated. "It doesn't seem to be a Glitter Charm like I thought."

Nick attached the charm to his keyblade and watched it transform into a new weapon. The handle consisted of multi-colored stars with feathered wings spreading out from them, the blade itself was a long candle-like rod with an angel wing on the bottom-left, and the teeth were an exact replica of the crown that seemed to be the Glitter Force's personal symbol. The words _Power Shade_ ran through Nick's head.

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Lily giggled.

"Yeah, whenever I get a keychain like that, I usually attach it to my keyblade," Nick explained. "It never fails to give my keyblade a new form."

"Hey, Nick? Would... um, would it be okay if I drew a picture of you with that keyblade?" Lily asked. "You just looked so _cool_ with it!"

"Sure," Nick replied. "I've got time."

Lily nodded as she brought out her sketchpad and began to draw, with Nick deciding to help out by striking a heroic pose (ignoring Maylin's snickering).

As Lily continued to sweep her pencil over the paper, she didn't notice a figure leaping towards her, absorbed in her drawing as she was.

However, Nick _did_ notice, abandoning his pose to grab Lily by the shoulders and pull her away as the figure struck, her weapon only slicing through thin air.

"Who's the wise guy?!" April shouted.

"YOU!" Maylin shouted. It was the hooded woman, indeed, her right hand clutching Darkgnaw tightly.

"You okay, Lily?" Nick asked, looking down at Lily, who was inadvertently hugging him due to Nick's unexpected save.

"I should be," Lily gasped. "Is that the hooded lady you've been tracking?"

"The very same," Nick replied. "You and the rest of the Glitter Force should step back. This is definitely gonna get ugly."

Lily nodded and ran over to her friends.

"You've got some nerve, you know that?" Nick proclaimed, bringing Power Shade into a fighting stance.

"And I see you still haven't heeded my warnings," the hooded woman replied. "You do not know the power you are playing with."

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ do?!" Haruka shouted. "We're sick and tired of your constant badgering! We know how to use the keyblade!"

"Yeah, who _are_ you, anyway?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That is no concern of yours," the hooded woman proclaimed. "But, if you must address me by a name, I would suggest... Mariko Kusumi. It fits with my purpose."

"Whatever, lady," Nick growled. "Let's go if we're gonna go!"

"It seems I must teach you a lesson myself," Mariko stated, raising Darkgnaw. "Very well. Let us begin."

No more needed to be said as Nick and Mariko clashed, their keyblades striking each other and creating an invisible shockwave from the point of impact that pushed the Glitter Force a few steps back.

With each strike, the two keyblade wielders fought each other off, creating shockwaves with each clash. Nick eventually leaped over an incoming attack and struck with a Hurricane Period, only for Mariko to easily block the move and counter with a short-range burst of darkness that forced Nick to leap back.

"Oh, playing dirty, are we?" Nick taunted.

"Merely advanced tactics," Mariko proclaimed.

"I'll teach you to mock me!" Nick shouted, firing off a Thunder spell that Mariko blocked with what looked like a darkness-based Reflect spell. Mariko grinned underneath her hood before slashing through the barrier and sending the spell back as three dark lightning bolts. Nick quickly raised a Reflect barrier of his own to defend himself.

"You can't hide in there forever," Mariko stated, swinging Darkgnaw again and again, each swing creating a blade of darkness that crashed into the Reflect barrier.

Nick simply stood his ground, knowing from the onslaught that Mariko hadn't seen this particular trick before.

"Try me," Nick challenged.

More and more dark blades continued to hammer at the Reflect barrier until Mariko decided she'd had enough. "Very well, then. I will just shred you to pieces myself!"

Mariko charged forward, slamming Darkgnaw into the Reflect barrier, which thankfully held. Nick grinned in triumph and raised Power Shade, shattering the barrier and severely damaging Mariko with the recoil.

Nick rushed in and started slashing at Mariko's prone form, not wanting her to get a chance to recover. After about seven or eight slashes, Nick threw out a Ripple Drive that knocked Mariko back quite a ways.

Mariko cut a backflip before she landed to right herself instantly. "You're stubborn, I will give you that," Mariko proclaimed. "But how long will that stubbornness last you?!"

Nick simply cast a Thunder spell in response, only for Mariko to cut through it with Darkgnaw.

"Okay, so magic isn't really doing much," Nick quipped.

Mariko dashed forward, only for Nick to uppercut her into the air, which Nick quickly followed up with a Gravity Break to drive her back into the ground. Nick wasted no time in unleashing a Sonic Blade while Mariko was stuck in her place.

"Now say goodnight!" Nick shouted, lashing out with one final strike that drove Mariko back.

"You are skilled, I will admit," Mariko proclaimed. "But you still do not understand what is to come. Do not cross me, or you will not live long enough to see it."

With her warning issued, Mariko waved Darkgnaw and vanished in a flare of darkness.

"Yeah, you do that," Nick sighed before turning back to the rest of the group. "Is everyone okay?"

"Man, you weren't kidding," April quipped. "That lady is nothing but trouble!"

"Now I'm glad she's not actually working with the Shadow Realm," Emily stated. "We'd _really_ have our hands full dealing with them _and_ her at the same time!"

"We probably could have taken her if we just ganged up on her!" Kelsey exclaimed.

"Oh, that's your solution to everything, isn't it, Kelsey?" Maylin teased.

"What was that?!" Kelsey shouted as everyone else burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, in a faraway world, the mysterious council of villains can be seen watching the events unfold.

"You know, she may have actually been able to take them down," the pirate lady quipped. "If only _someone_ had stuck around to give her a hand..."

"Hey, lay off!" Marie exclaimed. "I did my part, didn't I? I brought you the stupid crystal, so get off my back."

"She is correct," the strange figure in the mirror proclaimed. "We have procured another crystal. We only need three more before the ritual can begin."

Marie walked up to the raised stone in the center of the chapel and placed the aforementioned crystal into a slot on the outer edge.

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" Marie wondered, lazily swinging Stormfall. "What's the catch here?"

"No catch," the mirror responded. "I merely understand your concern for your sibling. I just want you to be able to bring him back."

To be truthful, Marie didn't really think she could completely trust these strange people. But, as long as they were able to provide her with the power she needed to help Nick, she'd take any help she could get.

 _Don't worry, Nick, I'll bring you back,_ Marie thought, gazing wistfully to the sky. _I miss you, big brother._

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Maylin quipped as she sat down in her chair, gazing out to the Lanes Between. "I just hope the Glitter Force doesn't have to deal with that nutjob again."

"After everything they've been through, I don't think they'll have a problem," Haruka admitted, fiddling with the controls to start the Gummi Ship. "They're resourceful."

Nick was thinking hard about what the hooded lady had called herself. _'Mariko Kusumi'. Why does that name sound so familiar?_ Nick thought.

"Okay, intrepid pilots, let's get a move on!" Haruka exclaimed. "Off to the next world!"

"Wait, wait, I thought we were going back to Traverse Town," Nick cut in.

"Oh, yeah, the missing page!" Maylin shouted. "I can't believe we almost forgot about that..."

"Well, we _did_ get distracted a bit," Haruka quipped.

Nick looked over to the control deck and smiled at the picture that rested there. Lily had finished her drawing of Nick holding his Power Shade keyblade in a superhero pose right before the trio had returned to the Gummi Ship, and had even signed it.

 _To our new friends, thanks for all the help you gave us! Hope to see you again soon! Love, Lily_

"All right, let's warp!" Haruka proclaimed, hitting the Big Red Button™ to activate the Warp Drive and return to Traverse Town.

* * *

"Okay, so what's the plan here?" Maylin asked.

"I'm gonna go check out the storybook and see what I can do to help," Nick proclaimed. The trio had disembarked from the Gummi Ship close to the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure's abode in the Third District. "I don't know what _you_ guys are gonna do while I'm gone..."

"Oh, that's easy," Maylin giggled. "We're going to the Synthesis Shop!"

"Um, what's 'synthesis' in this case?" Nick wondered.

"It's a new shop that just opened back in the First District," Haruka explained. "Two master alchemists from another world run it, and they basically use their alchemy to synthesize materials and forge cool items. Maylin and I were gonna go see what we can make and pass some time while you're in the book."

"Roger that," Nick replied, and so, the group split off.

* * *

When Nick landed in the TV Station, he felt a strange energy from the Torn Page as it left his hand and flew into the giant viewscreen that Kei and Yumi used to travel to the locations of the renegade monkeys.

"Oh, you found one of the pages?" Aunt Aki quipped, stepping in to the TV Station.

"Just got here with it," Nick answered. "What's the situation?"

"That page you found just allowed us to lock on to a strange energy signal," Aki responded, the viewscreen flickering to life and revealing what appeared to be a medieval castle. "Yumi's already on her way there."

"Right, then I'm on my way," Nick proclaimed, brandishing the Kingdom Key and charging into the giant screen, a strange feeling washing over him as he was transported to the scene.

Everything seemed quiet, though Nick knew better than to assume that. He had been in too many strange situations thus far to assume that quiet meant nothing was there.

Sure enough, the doors of the castle ahead opened up on their own, and a gigantic mechanical dragon marched through the doorway.

"So, there are still some humans who haven't been affected yet?" the dragon's pilot cackled. "Here, TRY THIS!"

The dragon opened its maw and unleashed a raging firestorm for Yumi. Nick was over there in a flash, raising the Kingdom Key to cast a Reflect spell around them. The inferno struck the barrier and curved around it, missing Nick and Yumi but still causing enough damage to the bridge to cause the back half of it to crumble into the molten lava pit far below the castle.

"Hey, you! Out of the way!" Yumi exclaimed, brandishing her Stun Club and the Monkey Net.

"You're supposed to be frightened!" Monkey White responded. "This dragon has reigned fiery death upon many a valiant knight!"

"You sure about that?" Nick shot back. "Because that thing looks kinda hokey to me..."

"WHAT?! You _dare_ to belittle my greatest creation?!" Monkey White challenged. "This will _not do!_ "

"We're the ones who should be saying that!" Yumi shouted, readying her Stun Club for a battle. "You'd better fix everyone you've hurt _right now_!"

"Hah, there's no way _that's_ going to happen!" Monkey White proclaimed. "I have orders to affect everyone in the whole world!"

"What are you babbling about?" Nick groaned. "Orders from who?"

"From Specter, of course!" Monkey White cackled. "Who else?"

Suddenly, Monkey White realized something. "Whoops... I forgot that it was against the rules to say his name..."

Nick just sweatdropped. "Really, dude?"

"You little _brats!_ This is all your fault!" Monkey White exclaimed, his dragon rearing back as if it was getting ready to go on the warpath.

"You're the one who said it," Yumi scoffed.

"You have no one to blame but yourself," Nick taunted.

"Oh, shut up!" Monkey White challenged. "Well, now that you know our secret, I'm afraid that I can't allow you to leave here. I _was_ about to make a movie starring myself, but I guess _that_ will have to wait."

Monkey White activated the dragon's battle mode. "Change in scenario!"

Nick and Yumi immediately readied their respective weapons as the dragon charged.

"Your time has come, brats!"

The dragon's head snapped at them with its razor-sharp teeth, but Nick ducked the bite and cast a Thunder spell, blowing the dragon back to the castle doors.

The dragon shook its head before spewing wave after wave of fire to create a wall of flames that prevented Nick and Yumi from getting any closer. Nick cast a Blizzard spell to create a hole in the wall, only for new fires to rage and close that hole instantly.

"Okay, this could be a problem," Nick quipped.

Yumi just smiled, reaching for a hexagonal device strapped to her wrist.

" _Transform! Fantasy Knight!"_

A spiral of emerald light surrounded Yumi for a few seconds, and when it cleared, she was decked out in an adorable medieval witch uniform, complete with oversized hat and a magic wand in her right hand. Surrounding her left hand was a light blue glyph.

"All right, stay behind me," Fantasy Knight Yumi stated, holding her left hand towards the firewall. The glyph surrounding her hand grew to enormous size and allowed Yumi to push her way through the firewall.

Once they were through, they wasted no time in rushing in to attack the dragon in every possible spot they could hit.

"H-hey! Get away from my precious machine!" Monkey White shouted. The dragon tried to swipe at Nick and Yumi, but its small arms couldn't reach them.

As Nick continued to attack, the Kingdom Key suddenly began to glow a bright orange. Taking advantage of this new opportunity, Nick went on the rampage with a savage flurry of attacks.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Kingdom Key's blade leaving orange light trails with each strike and doing much more damage to the dragon.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the keyblade, and finally, Nick gripped the keyblade tightly, leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, tearing through the dragon's hide and exposing its sparking circuitry.

Yumi quickly signaled to back away, and Nick didn't need to be told twice, finishing up his new Ars Arcanum attack and dashing back to the other end of the bridge as the dragon exploded into shards of metal and circuits, leaving a now stunned Monkey White to collapse to the floor.

"I think he's all yours," Nick quipped, and Yumi ran up to Monkey White and swung the Monkey Net, capturing Monkey White with a brilliant flash. Once Monkey White was captured, the satellite transmitter atop the castle's highest tower collapsed and exploded, signaling the end of this region's Specter TV broadcasts.

A small crystal fell from the wreckage of the dragon, rolling up to Nick's feet. Nick immediately picked it up, recognizing it as a summon gem.

"Well, that's that," Yumi stated. "Let's head back to the TV Station and check in with Aki."

Nick nodded as the two of them were surrounded by light and returned to the TV Station.

"Good show, sis!" Kei exclaimed, having just returned from his own mission. "Way to mop the floor with that monkey!"

"So... once again, Specter is behind all of this..." Aki sighed.

"Specter? Who's he?" Yumi asked. "That name sounds familiar..."

"You don't know him?" Aki wondered. "Specter is an ultra-intelligent monkey who wants to rule over all mankind. He used to be an extremely popular monkey at the Monkey Park, but he turned to evil when he put on a Peak Point Helmet, and now he's become the boss of the evil monkeys."

"I'm no mere 'boss', I'm their glorious leader!"

Everyone turned their attention to the main viewscreen, which now showed a white monkey with spiky hair and wearing a business suit.

"Obviously you aren't fans of my show," Specter quipped.

"So you're the one behind all of this," Nick stated, summoning the Kingdom Key back to his hands. "All right, Specter, what's your deal?!"

"I heard that someone dared to stand in my way, so I wanted to get a look at who it could be," Specter answered. "I must say, I'm quite relieved it's just a bunch of kids."

"Okay, you wanna say that to my _face_?!" Nick growled.

"Yeah! Surrender now, while you still can!" Yumi exclaimed.

Specter simply laughed. "You really think you can catch me? I won't make the same mistakes I did before. I've teamed up with this hu... man?"

Specter trailed off when he noticed his guest wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Do you mean me, Mr. Specter?"

The camera of Specter's broadcast turned to show a figure in a flashy lab coat and a strange afro on his head.

"That's right! I _am_ human, yet I am also humanity's end!" the figure proclaimed rather excitedly. "These monkeys have won me over! I am the ultimate scientist with an IQ of 1300! I'm twenty-eight years old, single, six-foot-three including hair, 135 pounds also including hair, my favorite color is turquoise, and they call me... Doctor Tomoki! And don't you forget it."

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?!" Specter exclaimed. "Just introduce yourself normally! Cut! Cut to commercial!"

The viewscreen cut to a 'technical difficulties' title card before cutting back to a confident-looking Specter. "Anyways, we have nothing to fear from you fools."

Specter and Tomoko started laughing maniacally, until...

"Doctor Tomoki! How have you been?"

Tomoko seemed surprised to see Aki, recoiling a bit as if a bad memory had surfaced.

"A-Aki?"

"You always did have a good head on your shoulders," Aki giggled.

"A-anyways, Specter, we can't waste the entire day talking to these people," Tomoki proclaimed, quickly regaining his composure. "We have work to do, after all."

"Huh? Oh, right," Specter quipped. "So just relax and enjoy the show! Of course, if you insist on resisting us, we'll be glad to crush you like vermin. Ciao."

"Buh-bye!"

And that was the end of the transmission.

"Hey, Aki, are you friends with that guy?" Kei asked.

"Well, long ago," Aki admitted. "But there's no time for that right now. We need to stop Specter, first and foremost. Kei, Yumi, you'll need to keep capturing monkeys until we can find the rest of the Freaky Monkey Five."

"I have a feeling the missing pages might help with that," Nick realized. "We only got that signal from the castle once I arrived with the first page. I'm willing to bet that each missing page is about this Freaky Monkey Five, so once I return a page to the storybook, we'll find one of them and eventually Specter."

"Good idea," Aki responded. "Come back as soon as you find a page, okay?"

"Will do," Nick quipped as he raised the Kingdom Key to return to Traverse Town.

* * *

Kikyo wasn't surprised at all to see Nick come out of the storybook with another summon gem in hand.

"So, you have found another summon gem?" Kikyo stated.

"Definitely wasn't expecting to find one in a _storybook_ , of all places," Nick admitted. "But let's get this poor soul to Kagome."

"On it!" Kagome exclaimed, taking the summon gem in her hands and concentrating. Bright violet light surrounded the gem and transformed it into a star-shaped diamond.

"Voila!" Kagome proclaimed, handing the Skydiamond to Nick.

"Thanks again, Kagome," Nick quipped. "I should probably go find Maylin and Haruka. Hopefully they're not still at the Synthesis Shop..."

With that, Nick made his way back to the Third District, only to suddenly be surrounded by Heartless from all sides.

"Oh, just perfect," Nick groaned, summoning the Kingdom Key.

"We've got your back, Nick!" Haruka exclaimed as she and Maylin rushed up to join Nick.

"Well, girls, I just acquired another summon," Nick quipped. "Wanna give it a shot?"

"You know it!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick held out the Skydiamond, and Maylin and Haruka began to glow before disappearing from sight.

 **("Innocent Starter" by Nana Mizuki plays)**

Nick tossed the Skydiamond into the air, then aimed the Kingdom Key at it. Tendrils of wind exploded from the keyblade's teeth and surrounded the Skydiamond before absorbing themselves into it and causing a bright explosion of light.

A girl of about Nick's age came riding down on the wind currents coming from the Skydiamond. She had bright orange hair tied into a side ponytail and silver eyes and was smiling brightly even as the Heartless encroached.

Nanoha winked to Nick, who easily caught the "it's _go_ time" signal.

As the Coilborgs and Shadowulfs charged, Nanoha quickly flew in front of Nick, creating a barrier that stopped the Heartless cold. This gave Nick ample time to fire off a Thunder spell that destroyed the Heartless.

The strange thing Nick noticed was that instead of just dissipating, the Heartless turned into sparkles of light that were absorbed by Nanoha. Realizing it was probably one of her tactics, Nick turned back to the battle so he could find out what would happen when Nanoha absorbed enough magic.

And so it went for a while. More and more Heartless spawned, only to be swiftly cut down by Nick, each one turning into residual magic that Nanoha would absorb. Meanwhile, Nanoha would take a mostly passive role, defending Nick from any sneak attacks with various barrier spells. The few Heartless that got by and managed to hit Nick only did miniscule damage, most likely due to Nanoha boosting his defenses.

Once Nanoha had absorbed enough magic, she began to glow with a bright orange light. A much larger pack of Heartless, consisting of at least five Large Bodies and many Neoshadows, spawned in, and Nick decided it was time to end this.

Nick and Nanoha nodded to each other, and Nanoha raised her device, channeling all the residual magic around the battlefield into herself.

" _STARLIGHT BREAKER!"_ Nanoha shouted, thrusting her hands forward and unleashing an unbelievably gigantic blast of magic that eviscerated the group of Heartless effortlessly.

When the area was clear, Nanoha turned and looked at Nick one more time.

"If you find Fate, tell her I miss her, 'kay?" Nanoha quipped.

"You got it," Nick replied.

Nanoha relaxed her posture and evaporated into wisps of wind that reformed into the Skydiamond in Nick's hands.

"Well, that was different," Maylin quipped once they'd reappeared. "But no less entertaining!"

"From what I've gathered, Tatsumaki's mostly an offensive summon, while Nanoha's more about defense, massive wave motion gun of doom notwithstanding," Haruka noted.

Now that they had returned, Nick had no trouble noticing the odd-looking bracelets strapped to Maylin and Haruka's arms. "So, did you two make anything interesting at the synthesis shop?" Nick asked as the group began to travel back to the First District.

"Oh, did we _ever_!" Maylin giggled, showing Nick the accessory she'd made for herself, a multi-colored bracelet of three different-colored stars. "This baby is the Three Stars, a trinket that'll boost all of my elemental resistances by at least thirty percent. Perfect for any mage on the go!"

"I made me a Titan Chain," Haruka quipped, showing off her own bracelet, that of a bright orange sunburst. "Boosts strength by about four 'points', according to what Ed and Al said. Gives my attacks a little more 'oomph'."

"And we even made one for you!" Maylin proclaimed, handing Nick a crystal bracelet shaped like a crown. "This is the finest creation of the brothers Elric to date, the Crystal Crown. Boosts every attribute you could possibly think of. Health, magic, strength, defense, you name it! After all, I figured this one would be perfect for our fearless leader."

Nick snapped the Crystal Crown onto his wrist, suddenly feeling a great surge of power flowing into his very being, no doubt from the Crystal Crown itself.

"Say, where did you get all the materials you needed?" Nick wondered. "I'm pretty sure the Elric brothers don't just have hundreds upon hundreds of synthesis materials just lying around, right?"

"Nick, we've been on this journey for about three years," Maylin giggled. "I don't know if you've noticed, but all those Heartless we keep taking down tend to drop weird-looking crystals..."

"Oh, I must not have noticed," Nick quipped. "Not something I look for after destroying Heartless..."

"Well, it's a good thing we do," Haruka laughed. "Now what do you say we get back to the Gummi Ship and move on to the next world?"

"You read my mind!" Maylin stated ad the trio raced to the giant doors of the First District that would return them to the Gummi Ship.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Power Shade  
** Strength: 6  
Magic: 8  
Ability: Lucky Strike  
 _A keyblade representing the world's happy ending. Raises max MP by 2, and enhances magic and summoning power. Will bring luck by increasing the drop rate of items._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Nanoha Takamachi, the Ace of the Sky  
** _MP To Summon:_ 3  
 _Purpose:_ Aid in defense with various barrier spells and increased resistance to damage.  
 _Charge Gauge:_ For every Heartless killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/8th to allow usage of Nanoha's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Starlight Breaker** , when the Charge Gauge is full, Nanoha unleashes a devastating blast that does massive damage to all Heartless in the vicinity.

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: Okay, now we're going to a world where genies exist. Oooookay...

Maylin: Nick, if you've seen all the weird and wacky things _we've_ seen over the years, you wouldn't be as surprised.

Haruka: And apparently, genies and pirates are enemies here. That has potential to be interesting.

Maylin: Well, let's hope this Scuttle Town doesn't get wrecked in the process! I'd hate to see the Heartless overrun this cute little place!

Nick: I don't know, I think our local pirate girl seems to know something about the Heartless.

Maylin: You think it's because of miss hood?

Nick: Let's go investigate, then. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Half-Genie Hero"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	8. Half-Genie Hero

"Agh, why is this place so bright?!" Nick exclaimed as the Gummi Ship, currently in Highwind Mode, blasted through an abnormally shiny area of the Lanes Between, shooting down Heartless ships left and right. "I should be counting myself lucky I'm not the pilot, otherwise we'd have crashed twenty times because of this crap!"

"Hey, I'm not the one complaining," Haruka giggled, turning her head to reveal that she was actually wearing sunglasses. She knew this area of the Lanes Between was unusually bright due to the gigantic sun that always orbited here.

"Ship platoon, dead ahead!" Maylin shouted, pointing towards an incoming horde of ships. "There's too many to dodge around!"

"Well, then let's just blast 'em," Haruka quipped, the Gummi Ship transforming into Falcon Mode and unleashing a cannonade of energy blasts that ripped the wall of ships to shreds in mere seconds.

"BOOM, BABY!" Maylin shouted, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Is it really that fun just to blow these guys up?" Nick wondered.

"Oh, you wouldn't _believe_ the time we've borked away just flying through the Lanes Between and shooting these things down one by one," Haruka admitted. "It's really fun, actually."

"All right, enough explosion talk. New world dead ahead!" Maylin proclaimed, pointing towards the next world. The structure portraying it made it out to be a sort of Arabian Nights-esque town surrounded by temples and grasslands.

"Ooh, Arabian Nights!" Maylin giggled.

"Well, everybody, time to go see what all the hub-bub's about," Haruka stated. "Prepare for landing!"

But before Haruka could do anything of the sort, a strange Heartless ship flew by them and headed for the world ahead.

"Hey! Get back here, freak-o!" Maylin shouted. "Haruka, full charge!"

"Roger that! Let's get this daredevil," Haruka proclaimed, steering the Gummi Ship towards the new world in pursuit of the strange Heartless.

If they had paused to observe the area, they would have noticed another strange void opening over one of the nebulas and a strange object emerging from the dark vortex.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The group arrives in Scuttle Town, where a magical half-genie protects the town from pirates, namely the infamous lady pirate Risky Boots. Naturally, the gang teams up with Scuttle Town's guardian genie Shantae to take down Risky's latest plan and stop her from using a strange artifact. But, since Risky is part of the villainous council that has been observing everything the trio has been doing, will it lead to clues as to who's running the show?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I've said it for the better part of twelve years and I still have to say it. I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Today, we're visiting the world of WayForward's half-genie hero _Shantae_ , because I am psyched for the next Shantae game. WHY DID IT HAVE TO GET DELAYED?! Anyway, this isn't adapting any specific game, but it does take place before Risky's Revenge.

* * *

Episode 8: Half-Genie Hero

"No sign of her," Shantae groaned as she returned to her lighthouse home, having just been on the search for Risky Boots. She had no idea why Risky wanted that strange crystal so badly, but it was her job as guardian genie to keep Risky from creating any trouble. "Just what does she want?"

As Shantae began to walk up the steps to her front door, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Walking over to the nearby bridge, she peered out towards the open ocean to discover that it was actually Risky's ship.

"It doesn't look like it's moving," Shantae wondered. "Wonder why she stopped?"

Out on Risky's Oceanic Tinker Tub, Risky Boots herself began to pace around the deck, observing the crystal she had stolen from the local Relic Hunters Expo.

"That's exactly the one we need for the ritual," Risky laughed. "That just leaves two more and we can finally bring the house down on all of these worlds!"

A bright flash from the sky caught Risky's attention. Readying her pirate weapons, she looked up and saw a strange ship descending from the clouds, almost blocky in design.

Suddenly, Risky gasped, realizing who was probably in that ship. "It's gotta be those keyblade-swinging brats again. I should have figured they'd find their way here eventually. Guess I should have listened to mister mirror guy..."

Risky ran to her ship's main cannons. "No matter. I'll just blast them out of the sky, and maybe then they'll think twice about messing with us."

"Stand _still_ , daredevil!" Maylin shouted as the Gummi Ship continued to open fire on the strange Heartless ship they'd been chasing all the way to this world.

"I've got a lock on him! Let the jerk have it!" Haruka exclaimed. Maylin immediately complied, firing the lasers from both blasters and finally shooting down the strange ship.

"Well, that was a trip," Nick quipped. "Wonder what that was all about?"

"I've _never_ seen a Heartless ship actually go down to one of the worlds before," Haruka answered. "The ship ones usually stick to the Lanes Between. This just keeps getting stranger and stranger..."

Maylin looked out the front window, noticing that they were flying over a vast ocean. "So, where's the Arabian Nights again?"

Haruka was about to sigh in exasperation when something crashed into the Gummi Ship's starboard side, shaking the entire ship and almost causing Maylin to fall from her seat.

"All right, who's the wise guy?!" Maylin growled.

"Um, Maylin, you may not believe this, but there's a _pirate ship_ opening fire on us!" Nick exclaimed, pointing towards Risky's ship. Indeed, its cannons were firing on them.

"Ooh, that's the last straw!" Maylin shouted. "Haruka, go to full attack mode!"

"Roger!" Haruka proclaimed, steering towards the Tinker Tub and arming the Gummi Ship's weapons.

The Gummi Ship flew around the Tinker Tub, firing off its lasers to do damage wherever it could. In response, Risky just fired back, actually landing a few cannon shots, even if it didn't do any visible damage.

"Sorry, pirate lady, but the Gummi Ship's too tough to be hurt by a mere cannonball!" Maylin proclaimed.

In hindsight, Maylin should have probably kept quiet, because a wave of darkness erupted from one of Risky's cannons, slamming into the Gummi Ship's port side and causing it to reel down until Haruka could right it.

"Oh, what the _hell_?!" Maylin shrieked. "That's _cheating_ , using the power of darkness against us! Don't you stinkin' pirates have a _code_ of some sort?!"

"Not every pirate is Captain Jack Sparrow, Maylin," Haruka chided. "Besides that, this dogfight just got interesting. Let's pour it on!"

The Gummi Ship began to weave up and down to avoid all the dark blasts that Risky was utilizing. Risky herself just kept an eye on her opponents, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Another wave of darkness crashed into the Gummi Ship, almost knocking Maylin out of her seat.

"We're getting rocked here!" Nick shouted. "Any ideas?!"

"Let's go full speed," Haruka quipped, pressing the Big Red Button™ and transforming the Gummi Ship into Highwind Mode. "She can't hit us if she can't catch us, right?"

The Gummi Ship began to dash like lightning across the ocean, now easily avoiding all of Risky's darkness-based attacks.

"Oh, you think you're so clever," Risky growled. "Well, I still have an ace up my sleeve!"

Risky raised her scimitar, channeling her dark powers into it before swinging it towards the sky, creating a large orb of darkness just above the mast of the Tinker Tub. After a few seconds, Risky slammed her blade to the floor, and the sphere of darkness unleashed hundreds upon hundreds of dark energy arrows, all screaming through the midday air straight for the Gummi Ship.

"Um, I don't think we can dodge all of those," Nick noted.

To his surprise, Haruka was smiling again. "Who said we have to _dodge_ them?"

Haruka once again turned the Big Red Button™ like a dial before slamming it down, causing the Gummi Ship to transform again. This time, the ship became very blocky and edged, almost as if it had gained armor. The ship began to slow down significantly as the dark arrows approached.

Nick didn't have time to protest Haruka's decision to slow down as the dark arrows crashed into the Gummi Ship almost twelve at a time.

But, when the barrage was over, Nick was honestly shocked to see that the Gummi Ship had barely taken any damage at all.

"Hey, I know my stuff, Nick," Haruka giggled, knowing what Nick was thinking earlier. "That's why I went for Invincible Mode. This formation's basically our defensive wall, where the ship can pretty much tank anything. We do lose a good chunk of speed, but it's worth it when we can survive barrages like that."

"Hey, I think pirate lady's out of tricks!" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's finish this nonsense!"

Haruka nodded, switching the Gummi Ship into Falcon Mode and firing off one final shot that collided with the Tinker Tub and exploded in spectacular fashion, destroying the sea-faring ship and knocking Risky into the ocean.

"VICTORY!" Maylin shouted.

"This isn't over, brats!" Risky shouted as she began to swim away. "I'll get you yet!"

"Yeah, yeah, you do that," Haruka replied, returning the Gummi Ship to its default form and piloting it towards the nearby lighthouse so they could disembark.

"Uncle, are you seeing this right?" Shantae gasped. Her Uncle Mimic had arrived just in time to watch the spectacular ship battle that had taken place.

"What a strange vessel," Mimic proclaimed. "They're clearly not from around here."

"Well, whatever the case, they clearly don't like Risky any more than we do," Shantae admitted. "That's a plus."

As the Gummi Ship stopped at the edge of the cliff, the trio appeared on ground level, talking about the battle they'd just been in. As they did, the Gummi Ship flew back into the sky to the Lanes Between to await their return.

Haruka was the first to notice Shantae and Mimic just ahead.

"So, I take it you saw us out there?" Haruka laughed.

"That'll teach miss pirate lady that she's no Jack Sparrow!" Maylin proclaimed, holding Spellbinder proudly.

"You are never going to let that go, are you?" Nick groaned. "You really need to lay off those films."

"It's not my fault they're so awesome!" Maylin countered.

"Well, I guess I should ask the usual questions now, huh?" Shantae quipped.

"That'd be appreciated," Haruka answered. "But first, what do they call you?"

"Oh, my name's Shantae," Shantae proclaimed. "I'm the Guardian Genie of Scuttle Town. Well, _half_ -genie, anyway."

However, before Shantae could explain that detail, a group of Heartless spawned around them, all bearing down with murderous intent.

"Does this _always_ have to happen?!" Maylin shouted. "Can't we have _one conversation_ without these numbnuts interfering?!"

The Heartless group consisted of a troop of Soldiers, a few Pagemasters, and a trio of new Heartless who resembled Arabian soldiers with wickedly sharp scimitars.

"Oof, not Bandits," Maylin growled. "I hate these things, too."

"Bandits are really quick with their sword attacks, but they're not so good at recovery," Haruka explained. "Wait for an opening, then get in there and show 'em who's boss!"

As one of the Bandits leaped in and swung its scimitar, Nick raised the Kingdom Key to block the strike before countering with an overhead strike. Another one jumped towards Nick, only to be met with a Thunder spell to the face, courtesy of Maylin.

One of the Bandits charged straight for Shantae, but the young half-genie simply spun around so that her long ponytail whipped out and struck the Bandit in the face, cutting off its charge and knocking it to the ground.

"Hey, she's got moves!" Maylin proclaimed.

Haruka leapfrogged over Maylin to cut down a Soldier that was shambling towards her. Maylin repaid the favor by flattening the two remaining Pagemasters with a Gravity spell, allowing Haruka to finish them off with one chop.

More Bandits spawned around Shantae, but she didn't seem intimidated, instead performing what appeared to be a dance routine. After striking a pose, magical energy surrounded Shantae and she transformed into a light purple-skinned elephant who immediately charged the Bandits, scattering them all around.

"Holy... did she just turn into an elephant by _dancing_?!" Maylin shouted.

"Each world's got its own little quirks," Haruka replied, swinging out to strike down another Pagemaster that had just spawned. "I guess this world's quirk is half-genies who can turn into animals by dancing. Makes sense."

"In _what way_?!" Maylin gasped.

"Hey, I'm personally not questioning that kind of logic after everything _I've_ seen on this journey," Nick quipped, frying another Bandit with a Fira spell. "I guess it's just another thing you've gotta get used to."

Shantae returned to normal once all the Heartless in the area had been vanquished. "Man, what was up with those things?" Shantae sighed as she walked back to the group. "What nightmare did Risky cough up this time?"

"And by Risky, you mean that pirate lady we shot down, right?" Nick replied.

"I have no idea what she's up to, but if those things are connected, it can't be good," Shantae proclaimed. "We have to find Risky before she causes any more damage."

"What exactly did she find?" Haruka wondered.

"She crashed the Relic Hunters Expo and stole a strange crystal that Uncle Mimic found," Shantae explained. "I don't know why she'd want a tiny gemstone like that, but like I said, if it has something to do with those monsters..."

"Methinks it may not be the crystal," Nick answered. "Risky was using a lot of dark powers when we battled her ship earlier, so I think she's the one controlling the Heartless around here. So, I agree with Shantae in that we have to find Risky before there's any trouble."

"It seems like there's always trouble around here," Shantae groaned.

"FINALLY! Someone who understands our plight!" Maylin exclaimed.

And so, the trio set off with Shantae in tow, following the trail of Risky's latest 'project', eventually finding themselves in Bandit Town, a city filled to the brim with, well, bandits and other thieves for hire.

"You really think she might be here?" Maylin wondered.

"It's the best place to check first," Shantae admitted. "She pulled a fast one on me here not too long ago, so it'd be a good first stop."

As the group asked around, Nick realized that more than a few roving eyes were trained on him, most likely appraising for stuff they could steal from him. More than once, Nick had to flash his keyblade out to get the would-be thieves to back off.

"Okay, this is getting annoying," Nick stated. "I am seriously about five seconds from going on a rampage here."

Shantae was about to say that she was used to it around here, but something bonked her in the back of the head.

"What was that?" Shantae proclaimed, looking around for the culprit.

"Um, Maylin?" Nick quipped, pointing towards the gaggle of trees just outside Bandit Town, where a group of Sniperwilds could barely be seen through the bushes and leaves.

"Oh, screw _this_!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder and casting a Thunder spell that destroyed two of the Sniperwilds while sending the rest crashing into the ground. "Yeah, run, cowards!"

"Okay, now that _that's_ settled..." Shantae quipped. "One of the locals said something about an ancient temple just to our west that emerged due to strange earthquake activity around this town. It's probably our best lead."

"Knowing Risky, she's already got her sights set on it for all of its treasure," Haruka replied. "Here's hoping she's delayed, since we blew up her ship, after all."

And so the group left Bandit Town and headed west, towards the temple that they'd been told about. Along the way, they encountered more Heartless, but Shantae was able to dispatch them easily by using a magic dance to transform into a harpy and get the drop on them from above.

Sure enough, after about ten more minutes, they came across the dilapidated entrance to an underground temple.

"This must be the place," Shantae stated.

"We don't know if Risky's already there, so we'd better stay on guard," Nick quipped.

"Oh, no, you actually beat me here for once."

The entire group spun on their heels and noticed Risky Boots herself standing right next to the temple's entrance.

"The sad disadvantage of not having a ship anymore," Risky taunted.

"You were trying to _blow us up!_ What did you _expect_ us to do?!" Maylin exclaimed. "And where did you get those dark powers from, anyway?!"

"Oh, you're just _full_ of questions, aren't you?" Risky proclaimed. "Red was right about you key-swinging brats."

"W-wait, Red?" Haruka quipped. "Who are you talking about?"

"Never you mind," Risky countered. "Let's just say that I, and a group of fellow ne'er-do-wells, have been watching you three for a while."

"All right, Risky, enough is enough! Hand over that crystal _right now_ before I decide to whip you into shape!" Shantae growled, cracking her ponytail out to emphasize her threat.

"You honestly think I'm scared of your stupid little hair?" Risky cackled. "This crystal is important to our plans, so you can forget it."

"Listen you, I am not in _any_ mood for your stupid little games!" Nick shouted, summoning the Kingdom Key and pointing it at Risky, intending to attack, only to be stopped by a familiar voice.

"But I thought you liked games, big brother?"

Nick's gaze snapped to the temple stairway, where Marie could be seen walking up with Stormfall clutched tightly in her hand.

"Or, you know, are you tool cool for games now that you've got the keyblade?" Marie continued.

"M-Marie? What are _you_ doing here?" Nick gasped.

"Just playing," Marie giggled. "If you really wanna know, you've gotta catch me first."

With that, Marie descended into the temple, leaving the group very confused.

"Come on, let's go!" Nick shouted, raising the Kingdom Key and dashing into the temple.

"H-h-hey, wait for us!" Maylin exclaimed as she, Haruka, and Shantae followed.

"I'll be back for you later," Shantae proclaimed to Risky before following her partners. Risky just smiled evilly before exiting the scene through a corridor of darkness.

 _Not much longer now,_ Risky thought. _Soon, our ritual can begin. Ooh, just think of the treasure I can pilfer once our quarry is resurrected!_

* * *

Deep inside the catacombs, Marie stopped to peer around a corner. She never liked places like this, with their confusing maze-like structure, mostly not helped by her bad sense of direction at times.

"Why do you still care about that boy?" Mariko Kusumi proclaimed, walking out of a dark corridor. "He has all but deserted you for the keyblade and his new companions, after all."

"He's still my brother, adopted or not," Marie answered. "I just want him back to the way we used to be."

"Of course you do," Mariko scoffed. "Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it, after all."

"How about you just let me do my job?" Marie growled. "I can handle him."

Mariko just nodded and walked back into the dark corridor, which vanished soon after.

Marie suddenly heard footsteps, which she knew was her cue to dash away. _Remember the plan, Marie, remember the plan..._

"Marie?!" Nick shouted, his voice echoing throughout the empty halls of the catacombs. "Where did you go?!"

"Um, pardon me if I sound out of the loop, but who was that girl?" Shantae asked.

"My sister," Nick answered. "I've been searching for her ever since our world was swallowed by darkness. The problem is, that doesn't seem like the Marie I know. She's usually kinda timid, but very affectionate around me. Something's not adding up here..."

"Well, then let's go find her and sort things out," Maylin quipped.

The trek through the catacombs was long and treacherous, as many structures were weakened and unstable due to the age of the temple. Often, during a fight with some Heartless, one of the structures would come crashing down and crush the Heartless in question.

Shantae had explained that many people, including would-be treasure hunters and pirates alike, tended to scour these types of locations for treasure and ancient artifacts. However, recently, some of them who had gone in never returned. The few who did... well, they were too scared to tell what exactly had happened, only describing 'strange shadow creatures the likes of which I've never seen before'.

"Must have been the Heartless," Maylin quipped. "Risky has no idea what kind of power she's playing with."

"The local monsters are bad enough as it is," Shantae stated. "And now we have these Heartless creeps to deal with..."

After slashing through a falling pillar so it didn't take them down with it, Nick noticed something just ahead, dashing off to check it out.

The group eventually found themselves entering an atrium-like area, where the faintest wisps of daylight could be seen filtering through cracks in the ceiling.

A strange Heartless could be seen walking around the pedestal at the center of the room.

"What the heck is _that_ thing?" Maylin wondered. It appeared to be a small guy with a mushroom-shaped head and white clothes. It looked up and noticed the group, dashing up to them.

"Okay, _back_!" Maylin growled, only to look on in surprise when the White Mushroom stopped in front of her and started fanning itself, like it was hot.

"Hmmm..." Maylin sighed, thinking of what to do. _If it's hot, why not cool it down?_

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!" Maylin shouted, casting a Blizzard spell on the White Mushroom, who hopped up and down in joy. After settling down, the White Mushroom began to float in the air, as if something was kidnapping it. Realizing the obvious, Maylin cast a Gravity spell to bring it down to the ground.

"It's... playing magical charades with us," Haruka quipped.

Finally, the White Mushroom raised its hands and a light appeared over its head. Thinking quickly, Maylin cast a Thunder spell, a bolt of lightning dropping onto its head. After a few more hops, the White Mushroom reached into its pocket and relinquished three large crystals before disappearing.

"Okay, that was something else," Maylin stated, pocketing the crystals.

A door on the right side of the room began to open, causing everyone to go on the defensive.

"I had a feeling you'd find me here," Marie quipped as she walked into the atrium. "Well, more like I _hoped_ you would; you, of all people, know how bad my sense of direction is in mazes."

"Marie, what's going on?" Nick proclaimed. "Why do you seem so different?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Nick," Marie answered. "All you seem to be interested in these days is showing off that keyblade."

"You know that's not true, Marie," Nick shot back. "I need this thing if we're going to help the worlds out. And the whole reason I'm on this quest in the first place is to find you!"

Marie thought for a few seconds. _Was Mariko actually telling the truth? Nick seems like he's really anxious to find me, despite this whole keyblade thing._

Before Marie could respond to that, the atrium began to quake as a large Heartless pounced down from above, collapsing another ancient structure in the process. This Heartless resembled a genie, like Shantae, only with a much skimpier outfit and long scarf lined with spikes.

"Okay, that's giving us a bad name!" Shantae proclaimed, readying herself for battle.

"You up for this?" Marie quipped, brandishing Stormfall.

"You know it," Nick replied as the Wild Dancer charged for them, performing random dance moves as it did so.

Maylin decided to hang back and fire magic spells from afar, knowing how quick the Wild Dancer was on its feet. The Wild Dancer, however, began to spin during its dance and deflected a Thunder spell that had been sent its way. Maylin just huffed and cast Thundara instead, which the Wild Dancer couldn't deflect since the bolts now came from above it.

The Wild Dancer stopped dancing and paused to catch its breath, giving Nick and Marie ample time to rush in and start beating on it. Nick noticed that Marie's attacks were kind of rushed, lacking any real style, as if she was just using what worked. _Not much different from me when I first started using my keyblade,_ Nick thought, switching to World System and laying into the Wild Dancer with a Sonic Blade.

The Wild Dancer finally picked itself up and began to dance again, creating blocks of ice that fell from the ceiling and forced its attackers to stay on the move.

"All right, let's see how _you_ like it!" Shantae exclaimed, performing a magic dance of her own and transforming into a large spider with a humanoid upper half. Shantae leaped to the ceiling and began to spin a spider web in hopes of catching the Wild Dancer.

"Man, it's a good thing Maylin's concentrating on the baddie," Nick quipped, stumbling the Wild Dancer by slashing at its legs.

"Why? Does she not like spiders?" Marie wondered.

"She freakin' _hates_ them," Nick replied.

"GIANT SPIDER!"

 _Yup,_ Nick thought. "Maylin, that's Shantae up there! She's trying to web this thing up, so don't blast her, got it?!"

"Easy for you to say!" Maylin shrieked.

Despite her freakout, Maylin fired off a Fira spell that knocked the Wild Dancer out of its dance and straight into the web Shantae had spun.

"Pour it on!" Nick shouted as he and Marie went on the offensive, attacking with everything they could muster in hopes of finishing the fight before the Wild Dancer could break free.

In the end, Marie was the one to deal the final blow, leaping off of Nick's shoulders to get enough height to plant Stormfall straight into the Wild Dancer's head. The beast's dancing came to an abrupt halt as it crashed to the ground, flat on its face.

"Ouch," Shantae quipped, crawling down to the ground and returning to normal.

"BOOM, baby!" Maylin exclaimed. "I love a good headshot in the morning!"

Suddenly, the Wild Dancer jumped back to its feet, dancing away and crashing straight through a nearby wall, revealing a whole other area of the catacombs in the process.

"Hey!" Maylin shouted. "Get back here, you cheater!"

"I'll go after him," Marie proclaimed. "I've got some bones against that thing for interrupting us."

"Stay safe, okay, sis?" Nick replied.

"Count on it," Marie responded, kissing Nick on the cheek before raising Stormfall and dashing off after the renegade Wild Dancer.

"Hey, look, a treasure chest!" Maylin proclaimed, pointing to said chest that had been dislodged from its resting place by the Wild Dancer's hasty exit. "Wanna open it?"

"As long as you don't hum that silly Zelda bit," Haruka answered.

Maylin walked over and dramatically opened the chest by tossing the lid backwards to reveal a glowing page and a small crystal.

"Hey, it's another page from the storybook!" Haruka exclaimed.

"And another summon gem," Nick replied, walking up to the chest and retrieving the summon gem. "This trip is getting interesting."

"Regardless, I think we need to follow Marie," Haruka stated. "I'm not sure if she can handle that thing all on her own."

With that, the group continued to explore the newly opened areas of the catacombs, even at one point finding a treasure room like you'd see in the movies. Obviously, they left the treasure alone, being as that wasn't what _they_ were looking for, but Shantae did want to come back for some artifacts she'd seen in the treasure pile, thinking that Mimic could put them to good use.

At the center of another atrium was a much larger version of the White Mushroom the group had faced earlier, only it seemed to be cream and pink instead of red and white in its color scheme, and it was spinning rapidly.

"I don't think we're gonna be able to hit that thing unless we stop its spinning," Haruka noted.

"Well, allow me, then," Maylin proclaimed. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! STOP!"

A clock face appeared on the Pink Agaricus, and when it stopped, the Heartless was frozen in time.

"All right, guys, RIOT!" Maylin exclaimed, and all four of them rushed in to attack while the Pink Agaricus was frozen. Nick even decided to unleash an Ars Arcanum on the Heartless to deal even more damage.

When the Stop spell wore off, the Pink Agaricus began to spin again, only this time it dropped a bunch of crystals as it spun before disappearing in a flash.

"We've seen some weird Heartless along the way, but I think _that's_ one of the weirder ones," Haruka stated, retrieving the crystals that had been dropped.

"I don't think that's gonna be the last of the weird ones," Maylin replied. "Call it a hunch."

"Hey, guys, this way!" Shantae called out, pointing towards a staircase that led upwards to another atrium.

"How many atriums does this place have?" Maylin wondered, cursing the never-ending stairs in her mind.

"It was probably a meeting place for whatever group called this place their home," Shantae explained. "Though what kind of people would make their home in a _labyrinth_ , I'll never know..."

After coming to a fork in the road, Nick decided that they would take the left path, as he could feel a twinge of energy down that path, no doubt his keyblade guiding him to Marie's keyblade.

Needless to say, the group was surprised when they found themselves back at the entrance to the catacombs.

"Wait, did we go in a complete _circle_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "What a load of bunk!"

"That probably means Marie isn't in here anymore," Nick quipped. "Let's get out of this dank place and keep looking."

However, as soon as the group stepped out of the catacombs, Shantae instantly spotted a dark cloud from far away, hanging over Scuttle Town.

"Oh, no, the town's under attack!" Shantae exclaimed.

"That's probably where that thing went," Nick replied. "I can sense Marie's energy that way, too, so let's get going!"

Sure enough, when they had returned to Scuttle Town, it was complete chaos. Many of its citizens were running from the Heartless that were chasing them, more than a few buildings were on fire, and Nick could easily catch the genie cap of the Wild Dancer near the center of the town.

"Geez, they're not pulling any punches now!" Maylin shouted.

"I think we're gonna have to split up," Shantae proclaimed.

"Good idea," Nick replied. "Maylin, you get the people to safety. Haruka, you go take care of the Heartless. Shantae, you should probably find Risky and see if this is her doing. I'm going after the big one."

The four split off on their given directives, doing their best to contain the madness.

When Nick reached the fountain plaza at the center of Scuttle Town, the Wild Dancer spun around to face him, its piercing yellow eyes flashing briefly.

"Yeah, it's me," Nick proclaimed, brandishing the Kingdom Key. "You ready for round two, ugly?"

The Wild Dancer began to dance, each sway of its hips unleashing a blade of darkness that Nick dodged by dive-rolling to the side. When it stopped dancing, Nick rushed into attack, only for the Wild Dancer to spin rapidly, keeping him at bay.

"Okay, so that's how we're going to play," Nick growled, casting a Thunder spell that knocked the Wild Dancer out of its spin. The Wild Dancer glared at Nick before dashing forward and attacking with rapid-fire palm strikes that forced Nick on the defensive.

After a while of this, Nick found a tell in the Wild Dancer's attack pattern and lashed out to knock it back, following up with an Ars Arcanum to really deal some damage.

The Wild Dancer didn't seem fazed initially, and simply resumed its dancing. This dance created geysers of darkness that began to rise up under Nick, forcing him to stay on the move so he wouldn't get blasted.

"Okay, this stupid dancing needs to stop," Nick stated, casting a Blizzard spell to slow the Wild Dancer before leaping at it with an overhead slice.

While the Wild Dancer was stunned, Nick slashed three more times before blasting it with a Ripple Drive. The Wild Dancer quickly picked itself up and began a more complicated dance.

Nick easily noticed the ring of fire that had just surrounded him, and dive-rolled away a mere second before the ring erupted into a geyser of flames.

"Man, that was close," Nick sighed. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction allowed the Wild Dancer to close in and flash-kick Nick into the air, followed by a flying roundhouse kick that sent Nick crashing into a nearby fruit stand.

The Wild Dancer closed in, only for Marie to hop out of the shadows of a nearby building and deliver a diagonal slice to the Wild Dancer's back, knocking it to its knees long enough for her to rush to help Nick to his feet.

"You okay?" Marie asked.

"That was a cheap shot that thing pulled," Nick growled.

"Sorry I'm late," Marie admitted. "I got lost in the catacombs for a bit. You know me and mazes don't mix."

"We'll worry about that later," Nick replied. "Let's just finish this thing off before it causes any more damage."

Marie nodded, summoning Stormfall to her right hand. "Let's kick some faces in."

The Wild Dancer didn't take kindly to that, lashing out with another flying roundhouse, only for this one to be easily blocked. Marie leaped over a hip check before striking back with a jumping slash, giving Nick the chance to slash at the Wild Dancer's legs, toppling it over.

"What do you say, big bro? Wanna finish this thing for good?" Marie giggled.

"I think I have just the thing for that," Nick quipped, reaching for the Psyemerald.

 **("THE HERO! ~Ikareru Kobushi ni Hi wo Tsukero~" by JAM Project plays)**

Nick tossed the Psyemerald into the air, where it floated on its own, then brought the Kingdom Key behind him, brilliant light surrounding the tip of its blade. After charging up for a bit, Nick thrust the Kingdom Key to the sky and a burst of energy shot from the blade, swirling through the air like a tornado before striking the Psyemerald.

The summon gem flashed with blinding emerald light before creating a powerful psychic vortex in the sky above it. Tatsumaki descended from the vortex, already readying her powers for battle.

"You're gonna love this one, sis," Nick quipped as Tatsumaki spread her hands, trapping the Wild Dancer in a maelstrom of psychic energy. The Wild Dancer attempted to struggle, but Tatsumaki would have none of it, picking the Wild Dancer up and slamming it into the ground with excruciating force, doing this multiple times until it could seemingly take no more.

Tatsumaki threw her hands to the side, and the Wild Dancer was sent flying into a pile of rubble. Before it could even finish falling, Nick was already on the move, leaping over a stray block of concrete to deliver the final blow, a cross-slash to the Wild Dancer's neck.

The Wild Dancer spun around for a few seconds before falling flat on its face, its arms twitching for a few seconds before it danced its last, evaporating into particles of light and darkness. A large energy heart floated from its remains and into the sky.

"And that's all she wrote," Nick proclaimed, Tatsumaki flashing a smile before returning to the Psyemerald. "How was that, sis?"

When he didn't get a response, Nick turned around and saw that Marie had vanished again.

"Where did she...?" Nick wondered.

Meanwhile, back in the chapel, Marie leaped through a corridor of darkness, panting heavily as if exhausted.

"It was reckless to return without at least using a vessel," the figure in the mirror, referred to by Risky Boots as 'Red', reprimanded as Marie stood up. "Relying too heavily on your dark powers could cost you your heart."

"You... you were right," Marie sighed. "About my brother. Is there any way I can bring him back?"

"Once the ritual is complete, we'll have access to untold power and wisdom," Risky answered. "When that happens, I'm sure you'll find the way to save the boy."

Marie gazed at Stormfall, many thoughts running through her mind. _I hope so... everything's gone to bunk since we lost our world..._

Back in Scuttle Town, things were calming down now that the Wild Dancer had been destroyed and the Heartless had been driven off.

"How's the town doing?" Maylin wondered.

"A few buildings got damaged, but nothing we can't repair," Shantae answered. "Honestly, it's like this every time Risky attacks. I'm used to it by now."

"Thank you all for coming to our aid," Mayor Scuttlebutt proclaimed. "It's not often we get help from outsiders."

"Well, that's kinda what we do, helping people," Haruka admitted. "I know Shantae can handle pirate attacks, but the Heartless are more _our_ field of expertise."

"And I even found something to keep Uncle Mimic busy!" Shantae laughed, producing a trio of ancient artifacts.

"Did you _actually_ go back to the catacombs just to get those artifacts?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Well, I was trying to re-trace Risky's steps in case she doubled back there," Shantae admitted. "I figured, as long as I'm there, I'd grab a couple artifacts for Uncle Mimic to take a look at."

Just then, one of the artifacts, a golden urn, began to shimmer and wobble in Shantae's hands. Almost as if fearing an attack, Shantae quickly set the artifacts down and shifted into a fighting stance.

Her apprehension became confusion when golden energy converged on the urn, forming into the shape of a keyhole on its broad side.

Nick summoned the Kingdom Key and aimed it for the keyhole, bright light surrounding the keyhole before locking it. Once the keyhole was closed, the golden glow faded from the urn.

"Well, that was a thing," Shantae quipped. "Hey, here's something for you guys. Consider it a thank you for helping out."

Shantae reached into the pile of artifacts and handed Nick a small trinket shaped like a genie lamp. Knowing what to do, Nick attached the trinket to his keyblade and watched it transform. This new keyblade had a simple, wooden handle with a yellow pommel that resembled the top of a Scuttle Town tower. The guard was predominantly gold and purple with a sky blue base, and was shaped like a curled heart with small 'wings'. The blade itself was a mixture of gold, purple, blue, and green, with a sharp point emerging near the base. The teeth were a bronze color and arced downward from the tip of the blade in the shape of a stylized number three. The words _Genie Magic_ came to Nick's mind.

"Hey, if you guys see Risky anywhere, let me know, 'kay? I still have to whip her into shape for taking that crystal."

"Roger that!" Maylin proclaimed.

On the way out of Scuttle Town, Maylin suddenly realized something. "Wait, why would she be looking for a crystal anyway? I thought Risky was into treasure like what we saw in the catacombs?"

"Well, I think it may have something to do with this 'Red' character she mentioned," Nick answered. "Maybe Risky's working for him for some reason, and they need that crystal for something."

"This just gets stranger and stranger," Haruka noted. "Well, let's get back to the ship. We've got a page to return, after all."

* * *

"Um... anyone here?" Haruka asked. The Magic House was completely empty, with no sign of Kikyo or Kagome to be found.

"Huh, they're gone," Maylin quipped.

"Oh, Kikyo's coming right back," Kagome stated, having just walked into the house. "She just went to go see what's at the store."

"Well, as long as we're here, can you help us out?" Nick replied, handing Kagome the summon gem he'd found in the catacombs.

Kagome placed both hands over the gem and concentrated, sparkles of light surrounding the gem until it transformed into a purple crystal shaped like a plus sign.

"Here you go," Kagome stated, handing the Starcrystal to Nick. "If you find any more, bring them to me, okay? I worry about them sometimes."

"Roger," Nick replied before rushing over to the Pipo Storybook, which was glowing brightly, no doubt reacting to the missing page Nick was holding. "Well, let's go take down another monkey."

Nick prepared himself as the storybook pulled him into its pages. When the rush died down and he found himself in the TV Station, he looked up at the Warp Pad, which was flashing a bright red.

"Looks like I was right," Nick quipped. "The missing pages must all correspond to the Freaky Monkey Five."

Nick snapped his wrist out and let the page fly into the viewscreen, allowing it to show the location of their next target. Nick decided not to waste time, brandishing the Kingdom Key and dashing into the warp, coming out in a Wild West town. Atop the saloon at the edge of town was another satellite dish for the Specter TV broadcasts.

"Hey, Yumi!" Nick shouted. Yumi was already on the scene, searching for the next member of the Freaky Monkey Five. "Any sign of the nut yet?"

Yumi just shook her head. "I'm sure he'll be here eventually."

A music box tune began to play, cutting through the eerie silence. Nick and Yumi spun around and noticed Monkey Blue himself waiting at the opposite end of the nearby street, his weapon primed and ready.

"Were you lookin' fer me, kids?" Monkey Blue proclaimed. "Your sheriffin' days are _over_. Ain't nobody faster than me when it comes to slappin' iron, kiddies."

"Pretty sure of yourself, are you?" Nick taunted.

"You wanna try me?" Monkey Blue challenged. "I'll be famous when I put you marauders down, and then... then I'll ask Pink out on a date!"

Nick just sighed in exasperation. "Yumi, let's just put this clown out of his misery."

"You know it," Yumi giggled, readying her Stun Club.

"You ready, kids?" Monkey Blue proclaimed. "As soon as this music box stops, we draw!"

After about ten seconds, Monkey Blue's music box came to an end, and he charged on his unicycle. "HERE WE GO!"

Nick leaped at Monkey Blue with an overhead slash, only for him to easily dodge it, zipping and zooming all over the place.

 _Damn, he's fast,_ Nick thought, rolling under laser blasts being fired from Monkey Blue's gun. _So how about we find a way to get him to slow down?_

As Monkey Blue came around a nearby corner, Nick immediately moved in and cast a Gravity spell that brought Monkey Blue to a halt. He tried to pedal, but the magical pressure around him was too much.

Yumi, obviously, wasted no time in dashing in to attack while Monkey Blue was vulnerable, landing about three smacks with her Stun Club before the Gravity spell wore off.

Monkey Blue started throwing bombs as he zoomed around town, forcing Nick and Yumi to keep their distance. As he rounded another corner, Nick surprised Monkey Blue with a Sonic Blade attack that turned Monkey Blue's Peak Point Helmet light from blue to yellow, a subtle indicator of their progress.

Monkey Blue simply sped off in the opposite direction, firing off more laser and throwing more bombs.

Yumi smiled, knowing it was time to take things to the next level. She raised her Morph Gear and let emerald energy channel into it.

" _Transform, Wild West Kid!"_

Green light surrounded Yumi for a few seconds, and when it cleared, Yumi was dressed in a cowgirl uniform and wielding two laser pistols.

Yumi immediately charged after Monkey Blue, firing her pistols constantly to do damage. Though Monkey Blue didn't seem to be taking any damage, he was slowed down by Yumi's firing.

Nick took advantage of this by leaping up to the roof of a nearby building and waiting for Monkey Blue to get close. Once he was in range, Nick jumped off and unleashed a Hurricane Period that spun Monkey Blue around, making him dizzy for a couple seconds.

"You think I'm intimidated by you and your stupid key?" Monkey Blue proclaimed once he regained his bearings.

"Well, you probably _should_ be," Nick shot back. "I've done a _lot_ with this key, so _don't underestimate me!_ "

Nick charged before Monkey Blue could get his bearings and started flaying him with Ars Arcanum, the final strike knocking Monkey Blue off of his unicycle and turning his helmet light red.

"Okay, then, let's fight!" Monkey Blue shouted, retreating to the end of the street and setting up a banana-shaped turret gun. "On the count of three, we finish this!"

Nick inwardly decided he wasn't going to wait that long and rushed down the street, cutting through any barricades in his way.

"H-hey, you didn't follow the gunman's rules!" Monkey Blue exclaimed.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a gunman," Nick countered, raising the Kingdom Key above him. "So _screw_ your stupid rules!"

Before Monkey Blue could fire off another shot, Nick brought the Kingdom Key down hard, destroying the turret gun and knocking Monkey Blue down on his behind, now dazed.

"All right, Yumi, he's all yours," Nick called, to which Yumi fired off an energy net from her twin pistols, capturing Monkey Blue and making him disappear.

With Monkey Blue defeated, the Specter TV satellite crumbled and exploded, ending this area's broadcasts.

"Okay, so that's two down," Nick quipped. "Just three more and then we'll find Specter, hopefully."

"Hey, Nick, how about you head back?" Yumi stated, reverting to her normal form. "I probably need to go make sure Kei is doing all right. Last I checked, he was having trouble in a hot springs program."

"That'd be worth the laugh," Nick laughed before raising the Kingdom Key to return to Traverse Town.

Meanwhile, in their hidden base, Specter and Tomoki were watching events unfold.

"They've captured Blue, Tomoki!" Specter groaned. "This isn't going well!"

"Not to worry, Mr. Specter," Tomoki replied. "We still have broadcast stations all over the world."

"Indeed," Specter chuckled. "And there are still three more of the Freaky Monkey Five. The next one is _sure_ to stop them."

* * *

Nick was surprised to see that Kikyo had returned when he came back to the Magic House.

"Were you successful?" Kikyo asked.

"Another Freaky Monkey Five nutball served up extra crispy," Nick proclaimed, a little confused at Kikyo's laugh. "Hopefully the next one will be as fun as this guy was."

"Well, that should be everything," Maylin quipped. "Let's get back to the Gummi Ship!"

But, like clockwork, another group of Heartless spawned to attack them right at the front gates.

"Okay, this is stupid!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder instantly at the sight of the mages.

Nick, however, was grinning. "I _did_ just get a new summon, girls."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's bring out our new contestant!"

"See you in a flash," Haruka giggled.

Nick brought out the Starcrystal and concentrated his power on summoning the entity within. The Starcrystal began to glow with a purple light as Maylin and Haruka vanished.

 **("Dimension Tripper!" by Nao plays)**

Nick tossed the Starcrystal into the air and drew a glyph with the Kingdom Key above his head, slashing through it five more times to form a star shape. The glyph flew up to the Starcrystal, surrounding it and radiating strange shapes of energy resembling plus signs, much like the crystal itself.

Eventually, the glyph returned to ground level and expanded, forming into the figure of Nick's newest summon ally. She was a girl about his age with shoulder-length, spiky purple hair and similar-colored eyes. She was wearing a white hoodie-like dress with purple striped cuffs, lining, and a purple hood. The outfit had pale, ice blue and light lilac accents, as well as a zipper section, two big round pockets, a big zipper with an N on it, and strings resembling a plug. Around her neck she wore a simple white choker. Her lilac shoes had blue and white accents and were also worn with blue and white striped stockings.

Neptune looked down at Nick, smiling brightly as she floated over and hugged him tightly.

Nick, obviously, blushed at the sudden glomp, but Neptune just smiled, knowing what was about to go down. She released Nick and turned her attention to the Heartless, drawing her sword and getting ready.

"Let's rock and roll!" Neptune shouted, and she and Nick charged into the Heartless swarm, unleashing different attacks to send the Heartless flying.

Neptune flew over a Large Body and attacked with Rising Blade, uppercutting it into the air before knocking it baseball-style towards Nick, who finished it off with a Ripple Drive.

The relay continued for a while, both Nick and Neptune attacking any Heartless that wandered too close.

At one point, a bunch of mages surrounded Neptune, but she quickly eradicated them all with a spinning blade attack.

"Dumb magic cheaters," Neptune giggled.

"Oh, you hate those things, too?" Nick teased.

Another group of Heartless spawned, and both fighters decided it was time for the finale and stood back to back.

"Ready to end this?" Nick asked.

"As ever!" Neptune laughed, as she and Nick extended their weapons, bright violet energy surrounding them.

" _Finishing Move, Astral Finale!"_ Nick and Neptune shouted, firing a beam of light into the clouds. A second later, giant spheres of magic rained down from the heavens, exploding on contact with the ground and shredding any Heartless that got caught in the blasts.

Once the barrage was over, Neptune cheered for their victory.

"That was fun!" Neptune giggled. "Until next time, then?"

"You know it," Nick quipped, high-fiving Neptune, who gave him one more hug before disappearing into the Starcrystal.

After pocketing the Starcrystal alongside the Psyemerald and the Skydiamond, Nick looked up to see that Maylin and Haruka had reappeared.

"She's an affectionate goof, isn't she?" Maylin laughed.

"That was pretty fun, actually," Haruka stated as the group walked through the front gates and found themselves back in the Gummi Ship. "We're really racking up the summons now, aren't we?"

"Let's hope the next one kicks butt, too," Maylin proclaimed as everyone took their respective seats.

"Hey, guys!"

"ACK!" Maylin sputtered, actually falling out of her seat this time. The culprit was once again Ruby Rose on the viewscreen.

"Ruby, you've gotta stop doing that," Haruka teased.

"Sorry," Ruby laughed. "I don't know what you guys are doing when I call, after all."

"Yeah, does time have any meaning here in the Lanes Between?" Maylin wondered. "I've always wanted to know that."

"Let's ask the philosophical questions later, okay?" Nick quipped. "What's up, Ruby?"

"Is there another tournament ready for us?" Maylin asked.

"You _know_ it!" Ruby exclaimed. "The Silver Championship just opened up, so swing by when you've got a little time!"

"We can definitely attest to that," Haruka proclaimed, hitting the Big Red Button™ to activate the Warp Drive. "We're on our way, Ruby."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Genie Magic  
** Strength: 11  
Magic: 6  
Ability: Summon Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the power of genies and half-genies. Raises max MP by 1, and enhances magic and summoning power. Increases the amount of time the summon will stay._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Neptune, the Purple Heart of Sega  
** _MP To Summon:_ 4  
 _Purpose:_ Fight alongside Nick with multiple different skills. Use /\ to execute special moves at random.  
 _Charge Gauge:_ For every Heartless killed, Neptune will drop synthesis items, with better items being rewarded at higher charge levels.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Astral Finale** , when the Charge Gauge is full, Nick and Neptune will fire a beam into the air that becomes a rain of magic that attacks everything around them in a wide radius.

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: Well, it's tournament time again!

Maylin: That's right! In this corner, everybody's favorite keyblade wielders, and in _this_ corner...

Haruka: Let's actually save that for the fighting, 'kay? We've got ten more rounds of Heartless to bash. I wonder who'll be waiting at the end...

Maylin: If it's Weiss, I'm calling that battle!

Haruka: You really wanna step up, huh?

Maylin: It'd be a clash of the magic knights! How cool would _that_ be?!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "A Slight Detour"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	9. A Slight Detour

"All right, everybody, we made it back," Haruka quipped as the Gummi Ship jumped out of warp space right in front of Beacon Academy. "I seriously love this warp drive."

Maylin was twitching in her seat, giggling like a schoolgirl in anticipation of the battle ahead.

"You okay over there, Maylin?" Nick asked. "You look a little twitchy."

"I just can't contain my excitement!" Maylin exclaimed.

"You're really that psyched for the tournament?" Haruka wondered.

"Hey, you know what I want out of this one," Maylin replied.

"Yes, we know," Nick and Haruka proclaimed at the same time. Maylin had repeatedly expressed hope that Weiss would be the final opponent of the Silver Championship, so she could test her magic skills.

"Let's just land there so we can get to the action," Nick quipped. "Don't want Maylin snatching the controls away from you, right?"

"After the last time she did that? I don't think so," Haruka stated, remembering the incident well. It was when Haruka had designated herself the _exclusive_ pilot of this Gummi Ship.

"I said I was sorry..." Maylin groaned.

"You hit _seven_ asteroids!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Hey, it's not my fault I never learned to drive!" Maylin shot back.

Nick just chuckled at his friends' antics as the Gummi Ship flew towards Beacon Academy. _These two are something else, all right... but they're my friends. I wouldn't have them any other way._

Nick's thoughts then turned to the Guardians, wondering how they were faring in Candracar. Now that he knew the hooded woman, Mariko Kusumi, had some connection to Candracar, he was worried.

 _I hope they'll be okay..._ Nick thought.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The group has returned to Beacon Academy for the Silver Championship tournament, once again taking on ten rounds of Heartless bashing to prepare for the road ahead. Some new enemies will show up to test our heroes, and another surprise opponent awaits at the end. Will this opponent be who Maylin hopes it is?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 9: A Slight Detour

"Ah, it's good to be back," Maylin proclaimed as the trio walked through the front gates of Beacon Academy.

"Keep your shorts on, silly, we'll get to the fight eventually," Haruka stated. "We just have to find Ruby and her team so they can take us to the teleporters."

"This school's huge!" Maylin shouted. "A map would probably be appreciated!"

As the trio continued to move through the many hallways of Beacon in search of Team RWBY, Nick kept catching someone watching him from their hiding spot.

 _Who's watching us?_ Nick thought, his right hand twitching, ready to summon his keyblade at any time.

Eventually, the group found the Team RWBY dorm, where only Weiss, Blake, and Yang were currently occupying. Ruby was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, that's odd," Maylin quipped.

"Ruby's already waiting for you guys at the stadium," Yang replied. "She just couldn't wait, apparently. That's my sis for ya!"

"There's a teleporter in the atrium a few hallways away," Blake stated, nose-deep in her favorite book, Ninjas of Love. "You can get to the stadium from there."

"Do your best out there, okay?" Weiss proclaimed. "We wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"Oh, _sure_ , lay on the pressure!" Maylin groaned, to which everyone in the room started laughing.

Nick was the only one to notice a strange shadow from far off that moved away the instant he looked at it.

 _Okay, someone's definitely watching us, and I'll bet money that it's that Mariko chick,_ Nick thought.

"Girls, you go on ahead. I'll meet you up there," Nick stated. "I think miss hood is sneaking around here again."

"Seriously?" Maylin proclaimed. "I thought she'd learned her lesson about snooping after last time!"

"I'll be to the stadium as soon as I can," Nick responded before turning back and dashing off after the strange shadow.

The chase took him all the way out into the nearby Emerald Forest, where many vicious Grimm attempted to ambush him, but Nick simply made short work of them, being too focused on finding his quarry.

"Okay, whoever you are, come out and show yourself," Nick proclaimed. "I'm not in the mood for a protracted chase sequence."

Sure enough, a figure stepped out from behind a nearby oak tree, trailing fire behind her as she walked out.

"Well, well," Cinder Fall proclaimed. "I'm surprised you actually followed me."

"Call it educational curiosity," Nick replied, the Kingdom Key flashing into his hands. "Now what's your deal?"

"Ooh, so you're the one with the keyblade," Cinder giggled. "Red was right on the money about you."

"Wait, Red? That's the guy Risky Boots mentioned," Nick realized. "So you're working for him, too?"

"Oh, I don't work for _anyone_ ," Cinder shot back. "Our interests merely align for the moment. Once he has what he needs, he can blow himself up for all I care. But, if you _must_ know, we have big plans for the worlds. And we're almost finished with them."

"And I'm going to guess that miss hood is part of that plan?" Nick growled.

"Oh, absolutely," Cinder replied. "But there's still one problem... _you_."

Nick clutched the Kingdom Key tightly, ready for a battle.

"You and that keyblade of yours are a roadblock," Cinder stated, fire energy swirling around her hands. "One that needs to be eliminated _immediately_."

Cinder summoned a shield of fire around herself so that Nick couldn't get in close, and Nick began to circle around, hoping to find a point to attack.

"Just give it up already," Cinder laughed. "There's nothing you can do to hurt me."

"Oh, wanna bet?" Nick shot back, casting a Blizzard spell at Cinder that, surprisingly, extinguished her fire shield.

Nick didn't waste time and rushed forward as Cinder tried to figure out what had happened, laying into her with a few swings before forcing her back with a Ripple Drive.

"So, you're more skilled than I thought," Cinder laughed. "This will be very enjoyable, indeed."

Nick simply leaped into the air and went into a Hurricane Period, spinning his way through the air to attack Cinder until she was able to deflect it, lashing out with a quick palm strike to put some distance between them.

Cinder threw out a large sphere of fire, but Nick simply blasted through it with a Thunder spell. "Come on, is that all your bag of tricks can do?!"

Cinder just smirked. "Oh, you want to see all of my tricks?"

Fire began to spiral around Cinder as she thrust her palms towards Nick again and again, each strike launching a fireball. Nick began to dance around to avoid the fireballs while parrying or deflecting the ones he couldn't dodge.

Eventually, Nick cast Reflect, letting the fireballs harmlessly bounce off of his crystalline shield.

"You really think you can hide in there?" Cinder quipped, moving in close for a short-range attack.

"That's your mistake for thinking I'm hiding," Nick proclaimed. Cursing her own carelessness, Cinder began to back away, but Nick raised the Kingdom Key and shattered the barrier, the field of light throwing Cinder for a loop.

"Seriously, how many people are going to fall for that?" Nick stated.

"I'll admit, you're pretty tough for your age," Cinder proclaimed. "So, I guess I'll let you live for now. You may actually be useful to our plans in the long run. Just... don't go dying on us before the next phase can begin. I promise it'll be enjoyable."

With that said, Cinder surrounded herself with a geyser of flames. When the fire dissipated, Cinder had vanished.

Nick let the Kingdom Key rest as he walked back out of the Emerald Forest, thinking hard about what Cinder had told him. A mysterious council of villains that were watching them from some strange world...

"And I should have figured miss hood was working with them," Nick thought. "But... my question is _why_? What could she possibly hope to gain working with all of these jokers?"

Nick decided to put those questions on the backburner for the moment, figuring he'd get an answer eventually.

 _Right now... it's tournament time,_ Nick thought with a grin as he passed through the gates of Beacon Academy.

* * *

"Hey, guys, took you long enough!" Ruby laughed once the trio had warped to Amity Coliseum.

"Well, I had to take care of a stalker on the way," Nick quipped. "You didn't have to wait for us, Ruby."

"I know, I'm just excited!" Ruby giggled. "I wanna see your skills again!"

"Then our skills you shall see," Haruka proclaimed dramatically, imitating a certain movie character. "Let's get this bad boy underway."

The trio made their way to the battle console, which now displayed an option for the Silver Championship. Nick selected the Silver Championship and pressed the accept key, which made the arena around them transform into a new configuration, half frozen mountainscape, half grassy knoll.

"Okay, guys, get ready," Haruka stated, summoning Divine Rose.

"You know it," Maylin laughed, summoning Spellbinder.

"Let's do this," Nick stated, summoning World System.

After the customary countdown, the first group of Heartless materialized, identified by the battle screen as "Ghost Bandits". This one consisted of one Bandit, three Air Soldiers, and a pair of new Heartless that looked like ghosts with big heads and Rayman-esque detached claws.

"Oof, where did they cough THESE things up?!" Maylin quipped.

"Guess they must have fought these things before," Haruka proclaimed before turning to Nick to explain this one. "Search Ghosts are annoying little buggers that like to teleport around to avoid you. If you wanna send 'em back to the grave, lock them in one place."

"Oh, like this?" Nick teased, casting Gravity on the Search Ghosts and flattening them along with an Air Soldier that flew in at the wrong time.

"Exactly like that," Haruka giggled, leaping in to slash at the weakened Search Ghosts before they could teleport away.

Maylin danced around an Air Soldier's dive-bomb attack before striking with an overhead slash that destroyed it. Maylin quickly followed up with a Thunder spell to blast away the Bandit while Nick made short work of the remaining Air Soldiers.

"NEXT!" Maylin shouted as the second group appeared. This one was named "The Marauders", and consisted of two Bandits, four Shadows, and three Barrel Spiders, explosive barrels with spider legs.

"Oh, these things," Haruka noted. "Barrel Spiders aren't too much trouble, but if they self-destruct before you take them out, you may miss some good rewards."

"I'll take care of that," Maylin proclaimed, whipping out a Fira spell coin and hitting a Barrel Spider with the spell, instantly destroying it. Maylin struck the coin two more times to send out two Firas and wipe out the Barrel Spiders.

With the troublemakers gone, it was easy for the trio to mop up the Bandits and Shadows with a few more attacks.

This prompted the third group, "Sluggers", to appear. This group consisted of two Large Bodies, a Pot Spider, a Barrel Spider, and a Fat Bandit, which was mostly similar to the Large Bodies, but dressed in Arabian clothes like the Bandit.

"Okay, here comes trouble," Haruka stated. "Fat Bandits can breathe fire and lots of it, but they're otherwise just like Large Bodies."

"And I hate THOSE things, too!" Maylin shouted, casting a Thundara spell to attack the Fat Bandit and Large Bodies, also destroying the spiders in the process.

Nick leaped over a Large Body's swing to strike it in the back, knocking it over so that Haruka could finish it off before turning to the other Large Body. The rotund Heartless threw a punch, but Nick easily deflected it before countering with a spinning blade attack, stumbling the Large Body long enough for Nick to cast a Blizzard spell to finish it off.

Maylin followed Nick's example by casting Blizzara, which instead of a shotgun-like spread of tiny ice crystals, was a trio of large ice crystals in a triangle formation, to strike the Fat Bandit and cut through its fire breath attack. Haruka finished the job by sliding around to its back and stabbing it one more time.

"All right, who's next?!" Maylin challenged.

Group four, "Pots and Bolts", spawned soon after, consisting of five Pot Spiders, three Yellow Operas, and two Green Requiems.

"Get 'em together, and I'll flay 'em," Nick stated before Maylin could go off on a tangent. Maylin just nodded, casting a Magnet spell in the center of the group, bunching them all together so Nick could rush in and make short work of them with an Ars Arcanum.

Group five, "The Big Combo", showed up quickly, consisting of two Fat Bandits and four Search Ghosts.

"Ooookay, this could be tricky if we let it be," Maylin quipped. "Let's just wrap this up quickly."

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as the Search Ghosts floated closer. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Kingdom Key above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Search Ghosts flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging the Fat Bandits. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Search Ghosts while Nick slammed Kingdom Key into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Heartless as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnet spell to gather the Search Ghosts above them. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive the Kingdom Key down in a final attack that spiked the Search Ghosts down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

Maylin wasted no time in firing off a Blizzara spell that destroyed both of the Fat Bandits to end the round.

The sixth group, "Toadstool", materialized, consisting of just three Black Fungus.

"Oh, fantastic, _these_ nuts," Maylin groaned.

"The Black Fungus is a tricky customer," Haruka explained to Nick. "It's got a metric ton of defense, but not much health, so you gotta keep the pressure on them before they turn to stone. Can't do anything to 'em then."

Nick decided to wipe them out quickly, attacking with a Sonic Blade, but to his surprise, all three had survived the attack.

"They survived that?!" Nick shouted.

"Well, they're not surviving _this_ now," Maylin proclaimed, casting Thundara to finish the job, wiping out all three at once. "Go and chew on that."

This caused the seventh group, "Pots and Barrels", to spawn, consisting of five Pot Spiders and five Barrel Spiders.

"R-really?" Maylin laughed, casting Thundara again. The Pot Spiders were vaporized, but the Barrel Spiders survived, all of them charging immediately.

"Oh, jeez!" Maylin shouted, backing away quickly, though Haruka was there to save the day by slamming Divine Rose into the ground and creating a powerful tremor that stopped the Barrel Spiders' charge. This gave Nick the time to attack while they were stunned, finishing off each Barrel Spider with one more swing.

"Wow, that was a close one," Maylin sighed. "I was about to be barrel soup there..."

The eighth group, "Giant Impact", spawned, consisting of three Fat Bandits and two Large Bodies.

Deciding to test a theory out, Nick rushed in and unleashed an Ars Arcanum on the two Large Bodies clumped together. Though he was attacking from the front, Nick was actually doing damage with his attack.

 _Maybe limit attacks cut through defenses?_ Nick thought. _That's good to know, actually._

The two Large Bodies evaporated when Nick was finished, leaving only the Fat Bandits, which Nick quickly finished off with a Sonic Blade.

Maylin and Haruka knew there was no time to rest, as the ninth group, "Bad Union", had spawned, consisting of a Bandit, a Large Body, a Fat Bandit, a Soldier, and two Powerwilds.

"Wow, this tournament _really_ likes throwing the large guys at us!" Maylin exclaimed, casting Thundara to get things going, before shooting a Fira spell at the Soldier and a Blizzara through the Fat Bandit.

"We're almost to the end, so let's just wipe these guys out and not think about it," Haruka replied, performing a swift overhead chop to take down the Bandit and a savage horizontal slice to cut down the two Powerwilds.

Nick leaped in to attack the Large Body, finishing it off with a point-blank Thunder spell before slashing one more time to destroy the Fat Bandit.

"And that should be everyone but our next mystery challenger," Maylin quipped. "Whoever's comin' down, come on down already!"

A quick whoosh of wind signaled their challenger's arrival. Everyone turned around and saw that Weiss had entered the arena, with Ruby cheering her on from the stands.

"Well, shall we?" Weiss proclaimed, drawing Myrtenaster and spinning its Dust cartridges around to load them up.

"Oh, we definitely shall," Maylin stated, readying Spellbinder for a fight. "Remember, guys, I called this fight, so _I'll_ take care of business!"

"We heard you the first thousand times, Maylin," Haruka quipped. "Just kick some butt out there, 'kay?"

Maylin shifted into a battle stance, as did Weiss. The battle countdown resounded, and both fighters prepared for their clash.

"Don't hold back on my account, Weiss," Maylin proclaimed.

"I could say the same to you," Weiss responded. "I want to see you at your best."

The countdown ended, and both combatants took their first step.

 **("Mirror, Mirror" by Casey Lee Williams plays)**

Weiss cast a rune to increase her speed before charging Maylin, who simply cast Reflect to block the incoming attack. Maylin backflipped away before jumping into the air and casting Thunder, launching a bolt of lightning straight for Weiss. Weiss used her enhanced speed to her advantage, dancing away from the lightning strikes before switching to ice Dust and swinging hard, creating the same field of ice spikes she'd used against the Chimera so long ago.

Maylin quickly landed on her feet and cast Reflect again, protecting her from the attack. Noticing that Weiss was concentrating on guiding the storm of icicles, Maylin grinned mischievously and raised Spellbinder, casting a Magnet spell just behind Weiss, breaking her concentration and forcing her to start running.

Ready to go on the offensive, Maylin dispelled the barrier and dashed in to attack while Weiss was occupied, landing three solid swings before ending with her own combo finisher, a spinning attack that surrounded her with explosions of lightning.

Weiss was thrown back by the attack, but quickly righted herself with a rune and charged right back into the fray. As she ran, Weiss switched to fire Dust and swung vertically, sending a wave of flames straight for Maylin. The young sorceress cast Blizzara to douse the flames, knowing that ice magic probably wouldn't work against Weiss herself.

Not one to be deterred, Weiss switched to gravity dust and rushed forward, swinging multiple times to create pulse waves that pushed Maylin back with each swing. Maylin simply ducked away and cast Gravity to bring Weiss to her knees.

"You're mine!" Maylin shouted, only to be surprised as Weiss forced herself back to her full height and slashed fiercely at Maylin, catching the young mage across the shoulder and knocking her back.

Maylin cast a glance at the viewscreen; both combatants' "health bars" were about even, resting at about eighty-five percent.

"So far, so good, Weiss," Maylin quipped, healing herself with a quick Cure spell, though her "health bar" didn't raise back up, most likely due to tournament rules. "You ready to step it up?!"

Maylin didn't wait for Weiss to respond and dashed straight for the heiress, trailing lightning behind her. Weiss prepared herself, only for Maylin to seemingly disappear.

The heiress prepared herself for whatever Maylin was going to pull off, only to stumble as Maylin flashed in and struck. Maylin began to press her attack, seemingly warping around Weiss multiple times and striking with electric-enhanced attacks.

For the finale, Maylin chopped downwards, causing multiple lightning bolts to rain down on Weiss and forcing her to back away. Maylin smirked as she brought Spellbinder into a defensive stance.

"Ah, I've been waiting to use Lightning Waltz," Maylin proclaimed.

Weiss shook off the damage she'd taken, noticing that her aura was down to about forty percent. Weiss spun Myrtenaster to load her next Dust setting, one she hadn't ever thought she would need to use, but was now glad she had it just in case.

Maylin cast Aero on herself, surrounding her body with a spherical shield of wind. "Welcome to the next level."

"Oh, we'll see," Weiss proclaimed before aiming Myrtenaster and firing off bullets of solid water that actually pierced through the Aero barrier and struck Maylin like a freight train, forcing the young mage to stay on the move to avoid getting battered by the water bullets.

To Maylin's surprise, Weiss spun around while firing, creating a ring of water bullets that shot out in every direction around her, forcing Maylin to hide behind a Reflect barrier.

"I've never seen a Water spell like that," Haruka quipped.

"Here's hoping Maylin can pull through," Nick replied.

Weiss continued to fire off salvos of water bullets against Maylin's Reflect barrier, hoping to break it and finish the fight. Maylin retaliated by quickly doublecasting Gravity and Magnet, forcing Weiss to her knees so she couldn't avoid being pulled into the magnetic field.

Maylin charged, hoping to strike a decisive blow with Weiss trapped as she was, but the heiress again surprised Maylin by casting a haste glyph on herself to speed up her response time, easily breaking out of the double-spell attack.

Deciding it was finally time to get up close and personal, Weiss spun Myrtenaster's revolver again and rushed in to meet Maylin's swing. The mage and the heiress began to duel with elegant and graceful strikes that completely belied Maylin's inexperience with actual physical combat. Nonetheless, Maylin wouldn't let that stop her, and continued to strike out even as Weiss leaped over her, striking out multiple times as she landed.

Every now and then, one of the combatants would actually land a blow strong enough to deplete their "health", leading both to realize that this fight wasn't going to go on for much longer.

With one overhead slash, Weiss put space between them, deciding that it was time to end this. Activating Myrtenaster's final setting, the Dust chambers and Myrtenaster's blade began to glow with a brilliant white light. The heiress charged instantly, not giving Maylin a chance to defend or retreat, and swung fiercely, a giant blade of light forming and streaking towards Maylin.

A burst of light flooded the arena, forcing everyone nearby to shield their eyes.

Nick was the first to open his eyes and notice that Maylin had cast Reflect at the last second, though the barrier was cracked in many places from absorbing such a powerful attack.

"Got you."

Weiss only had time to realize that she was finished as Maylin shattered the barrier, sending all of the damage back and throwing Weiss into the snow on the edge of the arena.

The buzzer sounded, and the viewscreen showed that Weiss was down to about seven percent of her aura, signaling the battle's end.

"Holy _crap_ ," Maylin gasped. "Thank my lucky stars that I was able to get that Reflect up in time. If I hadn't, _I'd_ be the one flat on my backside..."

Maylin walked over to help Weiss to her feet. "Thanks for that _awesome_ battle, Weiss. Really felt good to go all out against such a powerful mage like you."

"You're no slouch yourself, Maylin," Weiss replied as her aura slowly began to replenish itself. "That was the first time I've had to use my finishing move since I fought the Dark Knight. That should tell you how strong _you_ are."

"Thanks, Weiss," Maylin giggled. "I've always wanted to be strong like Candracar's mages. _They're_ something else, and the whole reason I'm even a mage in the first place. I just wanted something to make me stand out from the crowd, so I wouldn't be regarded as 'just another keyblade wielder'. I know I've still got a long way to go, but I'm getting there."

"Just keep going, then. Never stop moving forward, and you'll get there soon," Weiss proclaimed. "Now, then, Ruby insisted I give you something if you won. I figured, for such a strong mage, I'd feel like teaching you a spell you haven't learned yet."

"Yeah, that water spell was awesome!" Maylin exclaimed. "I've never seen water used offensively like that before. And I've seen a _lot_ of spells."

Weiss just smiled, taking a vial from her pockets and filling it with some of her water Dust. Maylin accepted the vial and concentrated her powers, letting the vial float in front of her. Magical sparkles converged on the Dust, and it eventually formed into the shape of a spell coin that fell into Maylin's free hand.

"Hey, Nick, get over here!" Maylin exclaimed. "You need to learn this awesome spell, too!"

Nick just nodded, joining Maylin and Weiss on the arena floor and holding his keyblade out. Maylin aimed her new spell coin for Nick, its letters shining brightly and surrounding the Kingdom Key's blade with a dark blue glow.

"As always, we'll call you whenever a new tournament's ready," Weiss proclaimed. "We've got some interesting ones lined up."

"Oh, by the way, I call battling Yang if she's one of the mystery challengers," Haruka quipped.

"Why do I feel like you two would get along just fine?" Weiss stated, slightly exasperated.

"Oh, that's just like you," Maylin countered. "What _is_ it with your obsession for strong opponents?!"

"It's just who I am, Maylin," Haruka answered. "I find it fun to fight strong opponents! It's no fun if you just trash everything in sight! And don't mock me about that when I _know_ you went all out just for that fight."

"Are those two...?" Weiss wondered as Ruby leaped down from the stands and glomped her tightly.

"It's just a quirk of theirs," Nick replied. "I usually just let them get it out of their systems. Haruka likes fighting strong opponents so she can test her limits, and Maylin kinda likes digging at her about that a lot."

"Stop on by anytime!" Ruby quipped.

"We just might do that," Nick teased before going to rejoin his bickering companions.

Ruby and Weiss watched as the trio warped their way back to the Gummi Ship.

"Hey, Weiss? Do you think...?"

"What is it, Ruby?"

Ruby just smiled, cuddling with her girlfriend. "Oh, nothing."

* * *

"Well, that was _so much_ fun!" Maylin exclaimed once everyone was back in their proper seats. "I got to go all out, _and_ I got a new spell! I'd say that's a victory for today."

"Then let's get going," Nick proclaimed. "I'm sure there's more worlds out there that we can help."

"Okay, then let's get crackin'," Haruka quipped. "Off we go!"

With that, the Gummi Ship roared to life, sailing off in pursuit of the next world.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: Talk about anachronism stew.

Maylin: ...what?

Nick: This next world just looks... kinda... I honestly don't know _how_ to describe it.

Haruka: There seems to be a lot of corrupt politicians here. Ech, what _else_ is new?

Nick: And apparently, there's a group of rebels who assassinate the scumbags who abuse their power. Oh, if only it was that easy in our world...

Maylin: Could use a better name than "The Revolutionary Army", though. You gotta stand out!

Haruka: I actually think their name is "Night Raid".

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Kill or Be Killed"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	10. Kill or Be Killed

"Okay, is that a _highway_ I'm seeing?" Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship entered a strange sector that looked like it had jumped straight from a futuristic racing game.

"Yeah, this area gets pretty trippy at times," Haruka proclaimed, seeing many Heartless ships shaped like race cars speeding along the track below them. "I have a feeling we're gonna need some speed to catch these guys. So let's race!"

The Gummi Ship transformed into Highwind Mode and rocketed off, following the twisting and turning track while shooting any ships that tried to bump them away.

After a while, a strange cylindrical ship began to ride the track and ignite its thrusters to ram into the Gummi Ship.

"Hey! This is a one-lane track, jerk!" Maylin shouted, firing the lasers to force the cylinder ship to back off. Still, it simply ignited its other thrusters and came back for another round.

"Seems like he didn't take the hint," Haruka stated. "Let's see how he likes _this_."

The Gummi Ship changed into Falcon Mode and fired off a shot that actually seemed to do some damage to the cylinder ship, even if it just came back for another round.

"Man, this guy just won't quit!" Maylin exclaimed. "We need to knock him off before he knocks _us_ off!"

Nick thought for a second, an idea forming in his head.

"Let's see if this works," Nick stated, raising the Kingdom Key and casting a Magnet spell. An orb of magnetic energy opened up behind the cylinder ship and began pulling it towards it. As the Gummi Ship rounded a corner of the track, the cylinder ship couldn't replicate the feat due to being ensnared in the Magnet spell and crashed into the side of a building on the edge of the track, subsequently exploding.

"And down he goes!" Maylin exclaimed. "I never knew you could use magic up here in the Lanes Between..."

"Well, we never tried," Haruka replied as they approached their next world. "We've always used the Gummi Ship to shoot down the mooks."

"Good point," Maylin stated, gazing at the world ahead. "Hey, it looks like a bustling city kinda deal."

"Let's hope it stays within that expectation," Haruka proclaimed. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** The Imperial Capital, while nice and shiny on the outside, is a wretched hive of scum and villainy on the inside, its corrupt prime minister controlling everything with an iron fist. Though hope exists in the form of the Revolutionary Army, most specifically their assassins-for-hire Night Raid, who kill the corrupt and abusive to ensure the empire can change. Where does our keyblade-wielding trio fit into all of this?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** In this episode, we're visiting the world of Takahiro's _Akame ga Kill!_. For timeline placement, this episode takes place between volumes three and four or after anime episode eight, specifically after the battle with the Three Beasts.

* * *

Episode 10: Kill or Be Killed

Seryu Ubiquitous continued her patrol, still riding off the excitement of her last battle with Night Raid, though she knew she had to keep it in so as not to attract any attention from suspicious people.

Out of the corner of her eye, Seryu noticed a flash coming from a nearby alley and decided to investigate, making sure she had ready access to her weapons just in case.

"Ugh, why is it always in an alley in places like this?" Maylin growled. "That's just too cliché for my tastes..."

"At least we can blend in with the crowd, then," Nick quipped. "There's a _lot_ of people here."

"Well, let's do our usual thing and investigate this place," Haruka proclaimed. "See what's going on around here."

And so they stepped out of the alley and into the bustling city itself, noticing that there seemed to be a strange atmosphere surrounding it, though you couldn't tell that from the citizens, who acted like it was the greatest city in the empire.

Naturally, the trio didn't buy that for a second, but continued on with their trek anyway. They had always known to never treat anything at face value, as you never knew what could be hiding beneath the surface.

"Okay, guys, this isn't getting us anywhere," Nick groaned. "I'm seriously thinking something isn't right here."

"Yeah, some of these guys sounded like they were forcing it," Haruka replied. "Like they knew someone was spying on them or something."

Nick looked towards the grand palace in the distance. "And I'll bet that someone up there is responsible. What do you say, girls? Want to go check it out?"

"Hell yeah!" Maylin exclaimed. "Super secret spy mission, GO!"

Not knowing that Seryu was following them, the trio began their trek to the palace, though Maylin often noticed other shadows moving through the darkness.

However, upon reaching the great double doors of the main entryway, they found that it was locked tightly.

"Apparently, this place is off limits," Haruka quipped.

"Oh, we'll just see about that," Nick replied, raising the Kingdom Key towards the door. A bright light shined around the doors' lock, causing it to vanish completely. Haruka pushed the doors open so they could all slip inside.

"Some security," Maylin challenged.

"Maylin, we have magical keys that can open or close any lock in _existence_ ," Nick teased. "I don't think that'd be much of a problem to us."

"Hey, you!"

The trio stopped in their tracks and summoned their keyblades, ready for a fight. Four soldiers entered the room, their own weapons drawn.

"How _dare_ you trespass on royal grounds," the first soldier proclaimed.

"I think we're busted," Haruka quipped.

Suddenly, all four soldiers began to scream in fear, and to the trio, it was easy to see why, as a pool of darkness had opened up under them, causing Heartless to swarm all over them. Within seconds, all four soldiers had fallen, transforming into Heartless themselves.

"Why did I see _that_ coming?!" Maylin growled, raising Spellbinder as the Heartless approached, many of which were armored knights with comically oversized lances.

"Lance Soldiers are quick, but they can't really control their lance at times," Haruka explained. "Keep them apart and they're good as toast."

Nick nodded, leaping into the air and slicing forward with a Hurricane Period that knocked two Lance Soldiers away. Maylin quickly leaped in and cast a Thunder spell, only for the Lance Soldier to not even flinch.

"Oh, great, so _these_ things are immune to magic, too?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Stupid lance boy... GET OVER HERE!"

The Lance Soldier that Maylin was fighting began to dash around like mad to avoid the mage, but Maylin quickly lost her temper and pounced on the Lance Soldier, driving Spellbinder into its face.

Haruka eyed both Lance Soldiers that were attempting a pincer attack on her, before leaping to avoid their attacks and have them crash into each other, so that Haruka could dispatch them both with an overhead strike.

"Well, that was a thing," Haruka giggled.

"Hey, to whoever's controlling the Heartless, STOP THROWING THE ONES THAT ARE IMMUNE TO MAGIC AT ME, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Maylin shouted. "Seriously, it's getting really annoying!"

A sharp sound, like a sword being unsheathed, caught everyone's attention. Just ahead, standing at the edge of the stairs that led to the upper level, was a young woman, no older than Haruka, with long, lustrous black hair and sharp red eyes. Her sword was out and ready for battle.

"Okay, is this gonna play out how I think it is?" Maylin wondered.

"Are you responsible for those monsters?" Akame wondered.

"Um, obviously not," Haruka replied. "You _did_ just see us take them down, right?"

"Regardless, you're in my way," Akame proclaimed, bringing Murasame into a battle stance. "Don't make me kill you."

Not waiting for an answer, Akame rushed forward and swung hard, only for Nick to raise the Kingdom Key and block the attack.

"Hey, listen, we're not the bad guys in this scenario!" Nick shouted. "We're just here because we're trying to find out what's up with this place!"

Akame looked confused for a second. "You mean you don't know?"

"We're not exactly from 'around here', so to speak," Haruka explained. "A lot of people in the city say they love this place, but it sounded so forced that we weren't buying it for a second."

Akame backed a few steps away, ready to sheathe Murasame, only for a powerful tremor to rock the surrounding area.

"Oh, what now?!" Maylin shouted.

Maylin soon got her answer as a large Heartless stomped its way down the staircase, a mix of a gorilla and a scorpion with the wings of a dragon.

"Oh, fantastic, here comes the big boy," Maylin proclaimed.

"I've never seen a Danger Beast like that before," Akame quipped.

"Let's just take it out before we draw any more attention," Nick proclaimed. "I'm surprised the guards aren't swarming over us already."

The Imperial Beast roared in challenge and began to gallop towards them, each step shaking the foundations of the room. Maylin quickly cast Reflect as the Imperial Beast threw a fist at them, stopping the attack cold and giving Nick and Haruka time to slash at the arms.

The Imperial Beast backed off before leaping into the air and coming down with a double-fisted overhead slam, creating a shockwave that threw everyone for a loop. Akame recovered the quickest, jumping off of a nearby support pillar to slingshot herself at the Imperial Beast and land a resounding slash across the beast's thigh.

Much to Akame's surprise, the Imperial Beast didn't seem that affected, only roaring in rage and preparing to attack.

"I... I don't understand," Akame proclaimed. "That should have ended it!"

"Heartless are pretty stubborn," Nick admitted, ducking under a flying kick to slash upwards at the Imperial Beast and knock it on its back. "Just gotta keep going until it goes bye-bye."

Nick rushed in as the Imperial Beast was getting to its feet and began striking at its chest area with an Ars Arcanum, with Maylin and Haruka helping out by using Strike Raid from their positions.

The Imperial Beast eventually spun around and whipped its scorpion tail straight for Maylin, who countered by blasting the creature back with a Thunder spell. "Hands off, gorilla boy!"

Haruka leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders and propelled herself high enough to meet the Imperial Beast's face.

"Hi."

The Imperial Beast roared in Haruka's face, only to be quickly shut up when Haruka slashed Divine Rose through its right eye. Wall-kicking off of its face, Haruka landed near Maylin, who followed up the attack by shooting a Thunder spell into the damaged right eye, causing the Imperial Beast to howl in agony.

Akame rushed in while the Imperial Beast was incapacitated and delivered three swift slashes to its chest before backing off to avoid retaliation. The Imperial Beast didn't take too kindly to this, swinging around and punching Akame into the nearby wall.

Maylin was already there before Akame hit the ground, casting a Cure spell on Akame before firing off a Blizzara into the Imperial Beast's face.

"You're going to pay," Akame growled before zipping over and slashing like wildfire, moving so fast she appeared to be flash stepping all over the place.

"Jeez, this thing won't stay down, either!" Maylin growled. "Why are they such gluttons for punishment?!"

"Well, how about we change that?" Nick proclaimed, bringing out the Starcrystal.

"Ooh, _yes_!" Maylin shouted.

Akame took a second to glance at Nick, gasping in surprise when she saw Maylin and Haruka vanish completely.

 **("Dimension Tripper!" by Nao plays)**

Nick tossed the Starcrystal into the air and drew a glyph with the Kingdom Key above his head, slashing through it five more times to form a star shape. The glyph flew up to the Starcrystal, surrounding it and radiating strange shapes of energy resembling plus signs, much like the crystal itself.

Eventually, the glyph returned to ground level and expanded, forming into Neptune, who already had her sword out.

"Aah, another boss battle, huh?" Neptune giggled.

"More or less," Nick quipped. "Let's knock this thing into next week."

"Roger!" Neptune proclaimed, and both she and Nick lashed out at the Imperial Beast, striking in sync with each other and keeping the creature locked in its place.

Akame decided she wouldn't be left out, attacking the Imperial Beast from the front while Nick and Neptune attacked it from the side.

"All right, let's end this with our finishing move!" Neptune proclaimed.

"You may want to stand back," Nick stated to Akame, who wisely took a few steps back as Nick and Neptune readied their weapons.

" _Finishing Move, Astral Finale!"_ Nick and Neptune shouted, firing a beam of light into the air. A second later, giant spheres of magic rained down from above, exploding on contact with the ground and doing immense damage to the Imperial Beast, though it had barely survived the barrage. Akame settled that with one final slash to its neck, causing the Imperial Beast to fall flat on its face and dissolve into little wisps of darkness.

"YES! One more boss served up extra crispy!" Neptune exclaimed. "We're on a roll, aren't we? Just call me if ever you need my help, or if you triggered a strange event flag and don't know what to do."

"Roger that," Nick quipped. "It's always the event flags that get me."

"That's what I'm here for!" Neptune giggled, reaching out to hug Nick before disappearing into the Starcrystal.

"We should probably beat it," Haruka quipped once she and Maylin reappeared. "No telling how much attention that fight may have drawn."

"I've already taken care of my target, so there's no reason for us to stick around," Akame proclaimed. "We should probably get back to base."

"I'm all for that! Let's get the heck out of dodge, people!" Maylin exclaimed.

But as the four retreated, staying hidden within the shadows, they just missed Seryu gazing towards where they had just been, malicious intent shining in her eyes.

 _So, Night Raid has more members for me to destroy, huh?_ Seryu thought. _Well, that won't stop me from delivering absolute justice. I'll see to it myself!_

* * *

"So, how did it go, Akame?" Najenda asked. All the current members of Night Raid were gathered for the after-mission report, with Nick, Maylin, and Haruka among them, wondering what exactly was going on.

"I was able to assassinate the target," Akame replied. "But when I attempted to return, a group of strange creatures got in my way. They weren't any problem, but then a large Danger Beast attacked us. It was unlike any I've ever seen."

"What would a Danger Beast, of all things, be doing in the Imperial Palace?" Mine wondered.

"That's because it was actually a Heartless, monsters born from the darkness of people's hearts," Nick explained. "The three of us were trying to get some information about this place because we didn't trust the people's reactions. They sounded so forced, after all. We went to the palace and a bunch of Heartless attacked us, so we kinda had to kick some ass before the place came down on our heads."

"And I'm starting to get the idea that this 'empire' isn't anywhere _near_ as a paragon of light and shininess as these people claim it is," Maylin proclaimed, spinning Spellbinder in her hands. "So, what exactly is going on here?"

Akame was the first to start explaining, about the Empire and how it controlled everything in the capital through corruption and oppression, about how they, the Revolutionary Army, intended to overthrow the Empire and make this country a better place, and how Night Raid was the main face of the army, the ones who would go out and assassinate corrupt nobles or people who abused their power for their personal gain.

"Oh, so it's one of _those_ places," Haruka quipped. "Yeesh."

"Sounds like we jumped into some deep nonsense, eh?" Maylin replied. "Is there any way we can help out?"

"The Heartless are kinda the whole reason we're here, and if they're rambling around, that could mean trouble for the Revolutionary Army," Nick stated.

"I say bring 'em all on!" Leone proclaimed.

"Oh, you would," Lubbock responded. "You'd have all _sorts_ of fun smashing them to bits."

"It's what I do," Leone giggled, striking a pose.

"So, do the three of you know where these 'Heartless' may show up?" Najenda asked.

"Well, they're usually attracted to the darkness in people's hearts," Nick replied, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hand. "But they're also afraid of the keyblade, so they'll probably concentrate on us if we're in their vicinity. And as I know Akame saw, we're pretty capable of wiping them out if they get in our way."

"Akame also told us that you apparently possess quite an interesting Imperial Arms," Najenda quipped, prompting a question mark to appear over Nick's head.

"Wha? Oh, you mean my summon gem," Nick replied. "I've got a couple of 'em, actually. Just have to borrow the power of my friends and I can call on an ally to help me out. It's probably pretty different from these 'Imperial Arms' I keep hearing so much about. But, just out of curiosity..."

However, before Akame could explain this one, a group of Heartless spawned around them, consisting of a few Powerwilds and Lance Soldiers.

"Okay, this _really_ isn't funny anymore!" Maylin shouted.

"Let's just take 'em out, then," Nick proclaimed, readying his keyblade.

To Nick's surprise, the members of Night Raid jumped into battle as well. Akame moved with grace and fluidity, slashing through the Lance Soldiers with one strike each.

Two Powerwilds attempted to pincer against Leone, but she simply activated Lionelle and smashed the two Powerwilds into each other. Mine aimed Pumpkin for one of the incoming Lance Soldiers and fired just as it raised its lance, destroying it easily.

Even Lubbock got in on the action, throwing out wires from Cross Tail to intercept a few Lance Soldiers in the middle of their charge, then using the wires to toss them over to Nick, who finished the job with a horizontal slash.

"Stand _still_ , jerks!" Maylin growled, casting a Gravity spell to flatten two Powerwilds who kept jumping around, allowing her to cast Thundara and finish them off quickly.

"Well, that was an ordeal," Haruka quipped once the last Heartless had been slain.

"Tell me about it! Why is it _always_ when we're talking to people?!" Maylin shouted. "Do they have _any idea_ how annoying it is?!"

"So, moving on, then..." Nick stated just as another person ran into the room, covered in a full body armor.

"What do you have to report, Tatsumi?" Najenda proclaimed, and the figure dismissed his armor, revealing a young boy no older than Nick was.

"I saw someone moving towards our area," Tatsumi answered. "I don't know if they know we're here or not, but I figured it was suspicious enough."

Naturally, Nick's immediate suspect was Mariko Kusumi, the hooded woman who had been antagonizing them a lot lately. Even now, Nick still wondered what her part was in this 'council of villains' that Risky Boots had hinted at.

"Let's go check it out," Nick responded. "I have a hunch it may be a certain hooded nut who's been following us our whole journey."

That was all the convincing the rest of Night Raid needed, and so they set out to the nearby forest to take down the intruder.

* * *

"So, is this the one?" Cinder asked, placing the crystal down next to the others the group had collected.

"Yes," Red, the man in the mirror, replied, a victorious smirk on his unseen face. "We only need one more and we can proceed with the ritual."

"Ooh, I can hardly wait!" Risky cackled. "Think of the treasure we can pilfer with this kind of power!"

"Okay, this is starting to get a little kooky," Marie proclaimed, swinging Stormfall a few times to keep up her combat skills. "Can someone _please_ explain to me what exactly this ritual of yours is going to accomplish?"

"We seek these crystals because they are filled with an ancient power, drawn from a goddess that was split into multiple forms," Red explained. "We aim to bring all ten of these crystals together, along with the the goddess's avatars, and reunite them so that she may be reborn and open the door to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold power and wisdom, and it is within this that you will surely find the way to restore your sibling to normal."

"And I'm going to assume that those two have something to do with this?" Marie replied, pointing casually towards the unresponsive bodies of Taro Namatame and Inaba police officer Tohru Adachi.

"Exactly," Red responded. "We have the three avatars, so we merely need to find the last crystal, and we can begin."

Marie looked back at Namatame and Adachi. Only two. _What gives?_

"Okay, that's all well and good, but I still have two questions," Marie stated. "First off, where do I fit into all of this?"

"Only a keyblade wielder like yourself is capable of uniting the avatars when it is time," Red explained.

"And two, what if those three get in our way? Because I _know_ they will."

"Then we will eliminate them. Simple as that."

Marie didn't think it would be that simple, though. _There's something that they're not telling me. I know it's useless to ask, because I know they won't answer me if I do._

* * *

"Any sign of the guy?" Tatsumi asked, staying hidden thanks to Incursio's camouflage ability.

"Nothing yet," Mine replied. "Just wait, I'll blast his head off!"

A rustling in the nearby bushes caught everyone's attention. After a few seconds, Seryu and Koro stepped out, ready for a fight.

"YOU!" Mine growled, bringing Pumpkin to bear right at Seryu's head. "Oh, I've been waiting for you to show your face."

"Well, well, Night Raid, we meet again," Seryu cackled, her expression changing quickly and making her look slightly unhinged. "How long has it been since I killed ol' what's-her-face?"

"I'm warning you, _don't set me off_ ," Mine growled, letting Pumpkin charge up.

"Oh, what does it matter anyway?" Seryu proclaimed. "I _will_ destroy you, Night Raid, for everything that you've done. In the name of absolute justice, I will rip you to shreds! Our great capital seems to have gone blind to the damage you murderers can cause if left to your own devices, anyway!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Nick countered, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands. "Then _you_ must be blind if you can't see how corrupt this empire of yours really is!"

"So, _that's_ why you're here," Seryu stated, and Nick really didn't like the crazy look in her eyes. "You're not from this world, are you? You're one of those pathetic keyblade wielders, I see."

"And what of it?!" Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder.

"As the keybearer, you've apparently forgotten the _golden rule_ ," Seryu taunted. "One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds, after all."

"That's kind of a moot point now, don't you think?!" Haruka proclaimed, summoning Divine Rose. "You honestly think we're going to just stand by and let the Heartless destroy everything?!"

"The keybearer shatters peace and brings ruin," Seryu laughed. "You've violated the number one rule."

Koro began to bounce over to Seryu, opening its mouth far wider than its small body had any right to be. To everyone's surprise, Seryu actually stuck her arms into Koro's gaping maw.

"And you know what that means? It means I get to make an example out of you!" Seryu cackled as Koro slammed its jaw shut on Seryu's arms. "There's no room in our glorious empire for you _or_ your key!"

Koro opened his jaw, and when Seryu brought her arms back, they had been replaced by almost foot-long blades.

"Time for you to _die_ , Night Raid!" Seryu laughed, charging straight at the group, only to be stopped as Nick stepped in to block her downward swing.

"Not on my watch," Nick proclaimed, swinging upward to knock Seryu off balance before slashing her across the torso, forcing her to stumble. Nick pressed his advantage, landing four solid strikes before finishing with a Ripple Drive that caught Koro in the blast as well.

"Haruka, you take care of dog boy!" Nick exclaimed. "I have a feeling he's gonna be a problem."

"Roger that," Haruka replied, dashing off after Koro.

"So it's you and me for psycho lady?" Maylin laughed. "Fine by me. Let's shank this bitch good."

Seryu just burst out laughing and rushed back in to the fray, only to be knocked flat on her behind when Maylin hit her with a point-blank Thunder spell. Nick leapfrogged over Maylin to attack while Seryu was down, making one powerful swing that severed Seryu's swords from her arms.

Seryu didn't seem discouraged, however, merely leaping to her feet and dashing over to Koro, shoving Haruka aside and letting Koro clamp down on her arms again. When Seryu was ready, her arms were back to normal (though still made of metal), but she now carried a large rifle and a mace flail.

"You won't stop me, Night Raid!" Seryu exclaimed, swinging the mace before slamming it into the ground and creating shockwaves that forced the group to back away.

Seryu leapt into the air, intending to crush Maylin's head in with the mace, but the young mage simply cast a Reflect spell and let the attack bounce off.

"Try again?" Maylin taunted. Seryu roared in rage and began to slam her mace into the Reflect barrier over and over.

"Seriously, you're making this too easy!" Maylin laughed, raising Spellbinder and shattering the barrier, throwing all the absorbed damage back into Seryu and knocking her into a tumble.

"So, how about you just give it up?" Nick proclaimed. "There's no way you're gonna beat us if you keep rehashing the same old tricks!"

"Okay, then how's _this_ for a new trick?" Seryu challenged. "KORO! GO BERSERK!"

Koro suddenly began to change, its muscles expanding rapidly until it was a hulking beast that towered over everyone in the area.

"Ooh, that doesn't look good," Maylin quipped.

"Night Raid, can you hold off the psycho until we're done here?" Nick stated. "I think we need to bring Neptune out here again."

"You really seem to like calling her out, huh?" Maylin giggled.

"Well, I don't wanna overuse my other summons, either," Nick replied. "Besides, I think Neptune's most suited for this one."

"All right, then let's call her out," Haruka laughed. "We'll see you guys in a flash."

Seryu stood her ground as Nick reached for the Starcrystal and Maylin and Haruka vanished.

 **("Dimension Tripper!" by Nao plays)**

Nick tossed the Starcrystal into the air and drew a glyph with the Kingdom Key above his head, slashing through it five more times to form a star shape. The glyph flew up to the Starcrystal, surrounding it and radiating strange shapes of energy resembling plus signs, much like the crystal itself.

Eventually, the glyph returned to ground level and expanded, forming into Neptune, who already had her sword out.

"That was quick," Neptune giggled. "Got another boss for us to roast?"

"You know it," Nick replied as Koro began to gallop towards them. "Let's take care of business."

Koro reared back for a double slash, but Neptune quickly countered that with a spinning sword attack.

"Down, boy! Don't make me Nep-Nep you!" Neptune taunted, to which Koro roared before attempting a foot stomp. Nick was there in a flash to swipe at Koro's leg and knock him to the ground.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that," Neptune stated. "Summons like me are usually invincible while we're out, after all. It's, like, one of the rules of RPGs, right?"

"Even so, no way would I just leave a friend in the lurch," Nick replied. "It's just not me."

"Awww," Neptune giggled, floating down to hug Nick. "You're such a sweetheart. Now, how about we teach this hulk a lesson in messing with the main character?"

"Ready when you are, Neptune," Nick proclaimed, switching to World System.

Koro picked itself up and threw its arms out before roaring in challenge. Nick and Neptune responded by charging in and attacking Koro's chest, hoping to drive the beast into submission. Koro attempted a claw strike, but was interrupted by Neptune delivering a quick stab to a weak spot, causing Koro to stumble and steam to escape from his body.

"I think we've got it on the run! Neptune, let's finish it!" Nick shouted.

"Oh, yeah! Finisher time!" Neptune giggled.

Koro wasn't going to accept defeat that easily, and began hobbling towards Nick and Neptune as they raised their weapons into the air, despite the fact that it was losing speed with every second.

"Koro, hurry up and take them out!" Seryu exclaimed, still holding off the rest of Night Raid.

" _Finishing Move, Astral Finale!"_ Nick and Neptune shouted, firing a beam of light into the air. A second later, giant spheres of magic rained down from above, exploding on contact with the ground and damaging Koro to the point he stopped and fell flat on his face, reverting to his normal form in a burst of steam.

"Now THAT was awesome!" Neptune exclaimed. "Another boss gets Nep-Nep'ed!"

"Indeed," Nick replied. "I'll call you if I need you for any more boss fights."

"See that you do! Dismissed!" Neptune proclaimed, sounding slightly serious before laughing at how ridiculous she sounded. She gave Nick a thumbs-up as she disappeared back into the Starcrystal.

"And then just one remained," Nick proclaimed, setting his sights squarely on Seryu, who seemed to realize she was in trouble.

"T-this isn't over, Night Raid!" Seryu exclaimed, retrieving the out-of-commission Koro and retreating into the distance. "Just you wait, I'll be back!"

As Seryu ran, Nick was the first to notice that she'd dropped a glowing piece of paper that he instantly recognized as belonging to the Pipo Storybook.

"We're seriously on a roll finding these," Nick quipped. "Let's keep the streak up, eh?"

"Well, that was fun!" Leone proclaimed, stretching her arms. "I've been waiting for a chance to pound that bitch's head in after what she did. Shame she wussed out, though. I was just getting started!"

"Me, too," Maylin admitted, resting Spellbinder on her shoulder. "I _really_ wanted to shank a bitch. Just out of curiosity, though, what exactly did the nutcase do that got you guys so worked up?"

Mine was the first to respond after looking up to the sky. "She killed Sheele."

"She was one of us, but the first time we ran into Seryu, she and Koro ambushed us and... Sheele didn't make it back," Tatsumi proclaimed. He gazed at the armor of Incursio, the Imperial Arms that Bulat had bequeathed to him before his own passing. _I won't let anyone else die. I promised Bro, after all._

"I get the feeling you guys would really have loved her," Leone added.

"And at least we sent little miss psycho running, so that should teach her not to mess with Night Raid!" Maylin proclaimed.

"So, I guess that means you guys are done here?" Lubbock asked.

"Almost," Haruka replied. "We've still gotta find the keyhole for this world, so the Heartless can't destroy it."

"Let's get back to base," Akame proclaimed. "We can start searching from there."

And sure enough, when they returned to their base, something was shining at the entrance to the base. Just over where Night Raid's emblem was printed, a shining keyhole had materialized.

"That was quick, huh?" Lubbock quipped.

Nick raised the Kingdom Key and shot a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click.

"Man, we _are_ on a roll!" Maylin exclaimed.

Akame walked up to Nick, smiling as she handed him a keychain. "I figured you should have this. For helping us out."

Nick attached the keychain to the Kingdom Key and watched as it transformed. This keyblade appeared to be modeled after the Imperial Arms that Night Raid possessed. The handle guard was a set of circular wires resembling Cross Tail, the hilt of the blade was a lion's head, like Lionelle, and the shaft was two different blades, one a large half-scissor blade like Sheele's weapon Extase and the other a smaller katana similar to Murasame. Extending from the guard were two small capes resembling the one Incursio wore, the teeth of the blade were three small blaster guns that resembled Pumpkin, and the keychain was a small robotic fist like Najenda's. The words _Imperial Blade_ came to Nick's mind.

Before any celebration could occur, a rustling of bushes put Night Raid on high alert.

"Oh, who is it now?!" Mine growled, readying Pumpkin.

"Did she come back for round two?" Leone cackled.

However, after the rustling, there was just silence for a few seconds as Night Raid searched for the incoming enemy.

"Still looking for those keyholes, I see. When are you ever going to learn?"

Nick clutched the Imperial Blade tightly, slowly turning around to face none other than Mariko Kusumi.

"Our ritual is nearly complete," Mariko proclaimed. "Once the vessels are united, you can say goodbye to these pathetic worlds of yours."

"And you're telling us this _why_?" Maylin challenged.

"Because I feel like it," Mariko stated, summoning Darkgnaw into her hands. "I only kept you alive because I figured you would be useful to our plans."

Nick readied the Imperial Blade for another fight.

"But now that we have everything we need to proceed, you 'variables' are no longer needed," Mariko quipped before charging.

Mariko lunged out with an overhead strike that was quickly parried and thrown back at her, but she recovered quickly and cut through the air with a spinning somersault attack. Nick dove to the right to avoid the attack, then retaliated with a Stun Impact, though he was surprised to see that it didn't affect her.

"I will not be affected by such trivial performance," Mariko laughed.

Nick struck back by blasting Mariko into the nearby tree with a Ripple Drive, Maylin following up with a Thunder spell that inadvertently destroyed said tree in a hellstorm of voltage.

"Well, you _have_ improved since the last we met," Mariko conceded. "But don't think I'm giving up. I'm just getting started!"

Mariko spun Darkgnaw and prepared to cast a dark magic spell, but Mine intercepted the attack with a blast from Pumpkin.

"Well, so are we!" Mine shouted.

"Let's see if you can keep up, then," Mariko proclaimed, leaping in to slash at Mine, only to be deflected when Akame hopped in and slashed upwards with Murasame.

Lubbock took advantage of the distraction and threw out multiple wires from Cross Tail, ensnaring Mariko and keeping her locked in one spot so Leone could activate Lionelle and start delivering a beating.

After a few seconds, Mariko was able to move her arms and throw them outwards to create a dark pulse that shoved all three of her attackers away. Tatsumi leaped in from above, delivering a flying slash to Mariko's side, only for her to counter with a horizontal strike.

Even as Mariko charged, Mine began to rapid-fire Pumpkin, keeping Mariko at bay with a storm of laser shots. This gave Nick the advantage he needed, as while Mariko was busy dodging the lasers, Nick snuck up behind Mariko and unleashed an Ars Arcanum, actually doing visible damage this time.

Even better, Nick was able to knock Mariko to the ground with the final strike. When she picked herself up, though, Nick noticed something strange.

Though Mariko's hood had been knocked down, which meant they could possibly confirm her identity, all Nick could see was her black hair.

But that hairstyle looked very familiar to Nick.

It seemed that Mariko had picked up on this, because she threw her hood back over her head and vanished into a dark corridor.

"Yeah, you suck!" Leone proclaimed. "Come back when you can put up a fight!"

Maylin was the first to notice Nick's thoughtful expression.

"Everything okay, Nick?" Maylin wondered.

"I was just thinking," Nick replied. _Something about that hair... no, that couldn't be... could it?_

"That stinks," Haruka quipped. "We were that close to finding out who that chick really is, too. Ah, well, there's always next time."

"Okay, one question I have is, well, why does Seryu know about the keyblade?" Maylin wondered. "How many worlds has miss hood been messing around in?!"

"Let's file it away for later, Maylin," Haruka replied. "I think priority one is finding Mariko first so we can wring some questions out of her."

"Yeah, if they're almost done with that ritual, it can't be anything good," Nick stated. "And I'm starting to believe that they're responsible for why Marie's been acting so strange lately."

As Night Raid continued to inquire about what the trio was searching for, another figure stalked through the shadows, focusing her attention on Night Raid, mostly Akame. She smiled before slinking back into the darkness.

"Soon, dear sister... soon."

* * *

"Hey, is it me, or is this place getting darker as we move on?" Maylin wondered as the Gummi Ship coasted through the Lanes Between, on a course back to Traverse Town. "That's what it seems like to me."

"I think Maylin's got a point," Haruka noted. "It's getting lighter in the Lanes because we're moving backwards. But, whenever we move on, it seems to get darker. I wonder what that means?"

"Maybe we're getting close to a really strange world," Nick replied. "That's just my guess, anyway."

Maylin looked back at Nick and noticed that he was lost in thought again.

"Everything okay there?" Maylin asked. "Sorry if it's the second or third time I asked."

"Just thinking about something I saw earlier," Nick replied. "When Mariko attacked us and we knocked her hood off, I... please don't think this is weird, okay?"

"Talk to me," Maylin stated, lifting herself from her own seat and sitting down right next to Nick. "I'm all ears."

Nick actually blushed at Maylin's forwardness. _But then again, she's my friend. I really don't have a reason to hide it from her._

"When we knocked her hood off during that fight, I caught a glimpse of her hairstyle," Nick explained. "And that's pretty much what's been nagging at me since we left the capital. I _know_ that hairstyle looks really familiar to me, but the only option my mind's presenting to me is one I don't think I can just ignore because it's the only one that makes sense. Problem is, I'm denying it because I _really_ don't want it to be true."

"What _is_ this theory of yours?" Maylin wondered.

"It... it has something to do with Marie," Nick admitted. "You know she's changed since my world was taken. I'm starting to worry that Mariko might have a hand in that."

"You think miss hood might have possessed your sister or something?" Maylin asked. "She did say something about the 'avatars' before we sent her running. Maybe these 'avatars' might be connected."

"And there's another problem," Nick replied. "I _know_ Mariko's not going to spill anything, so the only option we have is to find the world that this villains' council is operating on and wring it from them. I just... don't want to lose my sister. She's the only family I've got left, after all."

"Hey, don't worry," Maylin stated, leaning over to hug Nick. "We'll get her back, and we'll send these stupid villains _straight_ into next week!"

"You mean the next _century_ ," Nick quipped.

"Yeah, that!" Maylin giggled.

"Seatbacks stowed, everybody! Traverse Town, dead ahead!" Haruka exclaimed as the Gummi Ship parked in front of Traverse Town.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Kikyo proclaimed, her smile never wavering.

"Found another page for the storybook," Nick replied. "So I'm gonna go in and see what I can do."

"We're gonna check out the Synthesis Shop again and see if the Elric bros have any new stuff for us to make," Maylin proclaimed. "It's been a little while, after all."

Nick waved to his companions as he walked up to the Pipo Storybook and replaced the missing page to where it belonged. The book shined with a bright light and pulled him inside to the TV Station, where, just as expected, the alerts were blaring at the discovery of the next location of a Freaky Monkey Five member.

"Aki, did we find one?" Nick asked.

"Yumi's already on scene," Aki answered.

"Then I'm off," Nick replied, jumping into the viewscreen and coming out right next to Yumi. Both of them had found themselves in a Japanese pagoda high up in the mountains.

"Interesting place for a fight," Nick quipped. "Here's hoping this guy's not one of those super-stealthy ninja types..."

Yumi would have made a comment, seeing as how her newest transformation was _exactly_ that, if they hadn't been jittered by a loud, cackling laughter.

"Who's there?!" Nick proclaimed, the Kingdom Key flashing into his hands.

Their answer came in the form of a rotund yellow-skinned monkey that dropped down from the sky. He resembled a classic sumo wrestler and was wearing positively gaudy accessories.

"Oh, dear, haven't I seen you on TV?" Monkey Yellow laughed.

"I don't know, maybe..." Yumi replied.

"Oohhohoho, I do so hate you cutesy types," Monkey Yellow taunted.

"Oh, really, is that so?" Yumi groaned. "Hmmm, you must just love yourself, then."

"Well, now, quite sure of yourself, aren't you?" Monkey Yellow proclaimed, dancing back and forth slowly. "Well, there are plenty of prettier girls than you, you know!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Yumi growled. "Have you _seen_ my ratings lately?"

"Have you seen your waistline lately?" Monkey Yellow shot back. "Check your ratings again after the paparazzi get a shot of _that_! Ooh, but that doesn't matter now. Doctor Specter has asked that I take care of you here and now."

"Well, bring it on, then!" Nick shouted, readying the Kingdom Key for a fight. "Show us your moves, ninja boy!"

"Oh, dearie me, you're losing that cutesy image," Monkey Yellow cackled.

"Oh, don't underestimate me," Yumi proclaimed, her Stun Club at the ready.

Monkey Yellow immediately started hopping up and down, his tremendous bulk creating shockwaves with each stomp that forced Nick and Yumi to keep their distance. Nick took a few steps back before going into a Strike Raid, throwing his keyblade at Monkey Yellow from afar and then calling it back to throw it again.

After about six throws, Nick leaped in to slash at Monkey Yellow's bulk a few times, though he didn't seem to do any visible damage. "Okay, so you're not gonna be as easy as the others."

Monkey Yellow just laughed and began to spin around, forcing Nick to back off. "All right, let's see how you like this!" Nick shouted, casting a Thunder spell and knocking Monkey Yellow back, only for the rotund sumo wrestler to bounce off of a nearby wall and use his momentum to deliver a powerful flying kick that sent Nick tumbling.

Recovering quickly, Nick picked himself up and unleashed a Sonic Blade, hitting Monkey Yellow as many times as he could before finishing with a cross-slash. Monkey Yellow once again seemed to take no damage at all from the attack.

"Man, this guy's unreal!" Nick growled. "How do you think we can dent this guy's defenses, Yumi?"

Yumi reached for her Morph Gear. "Oh, I've got an idea. _Transform, Miracle Ninja!_ "

A bright green light surrounded Yumi, and when it cleared, she was wearing an (in Nick's mind) absolutely adorable kunoichi outfit and was holding her Stun Club in reverse grip like a ninja.

Yumi charged for Monkey Yellow, noticeably faster in her stride (most likely due to becoming a ninja, Nick thought) and began attacking Monkey Yellow with spinning attacks. Surprisingly, this damage seemed to stick, forcing Monkey Yellow to leap to the top of a nearby slope.

"Time for my SECRET NINJA ATTACK!" Monkey Yellow shouted, throwing out maces that slammed into the ground all over the arena. Yumi was the first to notice that some of the maces had chains attached to them that went back to Monkey Yellow. Seeing an opportunity to do some damage, Yumi jumped onto one of the chains and began to run up it, lashing out at Monkey Yellow before he could react and causing him to tumble back to the main floor.

Nick rushed in before Monkey Yellow could recover and struck out with Ars Arcanum, hoping to do as much damage as possible before Monkey Yellow could get back on his feet. And sure enough, the alarm light on Monkey Yellow's headpiece quickly cycled from blue to yellow to red as Nick poured the damage on.

However, before Nick could land the blow that would decide the outcome, Monkey Yellow recovered and dashed away, much faster than someone his weight should ever be allowed to move.

"Get _back_ here, fat boy!" Nick growled, chasing after Monkey Yellow, who would leap away with each strike Nick attempted.

Meanwhile, Yumi watched from atop the slope, formulating an idea as Nick tried to catch Monkey Yellow. Yumi made a leap off the slope, only to unfurl her glider and soar a good distance above the arena.

"Stand _still_ , damn you!" Nick shouted.

"Make me!" Monkey Yellow proclaimed.

Yumi took this as her moment, closing the glider up and falling back to the arena, striking out with multiple somersault attacks that caught Monkey Yellow off guard and gave Nick all the time he needed to deal the final blow. This final attack sent Monkey Yellow tumbling before falling flat on his face.

Yumi landed on her feet and brought out the Monkey Net, swinging out and capturing Monkey Yellow. Once he had vanished, the Specter TV satellite on the top of the house collapsed into pieces.

"Another region freed," Nick quipped. "Hopefully it won't be much longer before we can find Specter and end this."

Speaking of Specter, he was watching in shock as another region was freed from the control of Specter TV.

"They've taken out Yellow!" Specter gasped. "What do we do now, Tomoki?!"

No response came. Specter looked over at Tomoki, only to see him gazing at his reflection in a mirror.

"Where is your mind at?" Specter groaned, activating his communication feed. "Hey, do you read me?!"

"Oh, Specter baby, I read you loud and clear, sweety!" the voice on the other end replied.

"Those pesky humans have taken out Yellow."

"You mean that _fat_... I mean, Yellow, huh? Well, it serves him right, always showing off and trying to think he's better than me. Ooh, the next time I meet him, I'm gonna..."

"Um, Pink?"

"Whoops, was I thinking out loud again? I gotta stop doing that..."

"Listen up, Pink, I have new orders. _Do not_ let those humans get by you, no matter what."

"Baby, you know I have rehearsal after this."

"'Baby'? Who do you think you're talking to?! I JUST GAVE YOU A DIRECT ORDER, PINK!"

The entire station fell silent. Even Tomoki stopped gazing at himself to wonder what had just happened.

* * *

Nick returned from the storybook with a new spell coin clutched in his free hand. "That's three down," Nick quipped. "I think there's only two more missing pages, so that means we're almost done with this."

"Welcome back, fearless leader!" Maylin giggled as she and Haruka stepped into the Magic House. "How'd it go in the book?"

"Another Freaky Monkey Five member down the drain," Nick replied. "Just two more to go."

"Hey, speaking of which, we've got stuff!" Maylin exclaimed, showing off the new trinkets they'd created at the Elric Alchemy House.

"Nice," Nick quipped. "What's what here?"

"Well, I made me a Rune Armlet," Maylin replied, pointing to the trinket strapped to her left arm. "Buffs my magic by a few stages, and being how that's my style, I figured I couldn't go wrong!"

"I created an Angel Bangle," Haruka stated, gesturing to the winged earring she was wearing. "Gives extra vitality in a pinch. Very useful, indeed."

"And, for you, my friend," Maylin quipped as she handed Nick a necklace decorated with swirling hearts. "This is the Heartguard. It boosts your natural resistance to the power of darkness. The Elric brothers had to deal with a lot of darkness-touting maniacs back in their world, so they figured it'd be a good idea."

"All right," Nick quipped, sliding the trinket around his neck and feeling the power flow through his body. "Well, what say we get a move on?"

"I'm all for that!" Maylin proclaimed. "Let's go help more worlds!"

"Just like you, Maylin," Haruka laughed as the trio transported themselves back to the Gummi Ship.

"Hey, do you think we're ever going to find that other Navi-G Piece?" Maylin asked. "Because we still have that one that requires its partner to work..."

"I'm sure it's on one of these worlds," Nick replied. "We just have to keep looking."

The control console's viewscreen suddenly began to flicker. The trio readied themselves, knowing who was probably trying to contact them.

"Hey, everybody! I didn't scare you this time, did I?" Ruby asked as her face flickered to life on the screen.

"Nah, we were ready for this one," Haruka laughed. "You're the only one I've given the comm. codes to, after all."

"Well, we've got another tournament ready for you guys!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Wow, that's three in how long?" Haruka quipped. "Like I said, Ruby, times flows way differently up here in the Lanes Between, so sometimes it only feels like a few hours to us."

"Yeah, I'm sure interdimensional travel is just a cornucopia of disturbing concepts," Ruby giggled. "Stop on by whenever you're ready! Oh, I'm on my way, Weiss!"

With that, the feed cut out. Haruka was already reaching for the button to activate the warp drive.

"Well, guys, what say you?" Haruka asked.

"Let's go kick some faces in!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'm all for it," Nick replied.

"All right, back to Beacon Academy we go!" Haruka proclaimed, activating the warp drive.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Imperial Blade  
** Strength: 7  
Magic: 5  
Ability: Combo Critical  
 _A keyblade representing the assassins who seek justice for a corrupt world. Raises max MP by one, and enhances magic and summoning power. A well-balanced weapon that always finishes a combo with a powerful critical strike._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: It's tournament time again! For the third time!

Haruka: I think you mean "again for the second time".

Maylin: Oh, shush, you grammar stickler!

Nick: The Gold Championship looks like it's gonna be a good challenge, guys. I hope you're ready.

Maylin: Oh, I'm always ready to kick some Heartless faces in!

Haruka: Looks like we've got some new ones, too. Stay on your toes, everyone!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Battle Festival"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	11. Battle Festival

As the Gummi Ship thundered through the warp tunnel to reach Beacon Academy, Nick reflected on the events of their adventure so far.

This had definitely been the adventure of a lifetime, despite never having had a real adventure before.

But he often wondered about the adventures that Haruka and Maylin had been on. After all, they'd been doing this world-hopping thing for much longer than he'd even known of the keyblade.

All he knew for sure was that Maylin's parents had been victims of the Heartless. After thinking he'd upset Maylin, Nick had said no more on the issue, not wanting to bring it up if it would only hurt Maylin's feelings.

But still he wondered. He _did_ want to know about the more exciting parts, the ones that _wouldn't_ bring up bad memories.

Maylin and Haruka had been trained by the Oracle of Candracar himself, after all. Did that mean the Oracle had foreseen that the Heartless would rise again?

And another horrific thought occurred to Nick; how many times in the _past_ had the Heartless flooded other worlds with darkness, and how many had there been before the Heartless?

Nick had only been to Candracar once in his life, after he'd inadvertently discovered the identities of W.I.T.C.H., but he had heard one of their sages say something about "the great darkness" and "the original light".

How long had this eternal struggle been going on, the fight between the bearers of the keyblade and the creatures of the darkness?

Nick decided to file that thought away for a later time, since he figured he'd get those answers eventually.

And as the Gummi Ship left warp space and parked in front of Beacon Academy, Nick had one more thought.

Who exactly had chosen _him_ to wield the keyblade? Where exactly did _he_ fit into all of this?

Nick supposed he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Another return trip to Beacon Academy is in order, as the Gold Championship is ready for our trio. Another ten rounds of battle, another mystery challenger to fight. Which member of Team RWBY is waiting in the wings at the end of this gauntlet?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 11: Battle Festival

"Ah, it's good to be back!" Maylin proclaimed as the trio once again walked through the front gates of Beacon Academy.

"This is, what, our fourth trip here?" Haruka quipped. "And you're acting like it's been years and years."

"Hey, I'm psyched for this tournament!" Maylin stated. "And here I thought _you'd_ be the one who'd be going all ga-ga-goo-goo over the chance to fight some strong enemies!"

"Well, I usually save that enthusiasm for the fight itself," Haruka replied. "Wouldn't want to waste all that excess energy, after all."

"Girl's got a point," Nick quipped.

Upon arriving at Team RWBY's dorm, Blake was the only one there, absorbed in a book she had been reading since this morning.

"Oh, hey, guys," Blake stated, looking up from her book. "The others are already at the stadium."

"Let me guess, Ruby dragged them there?" Maylin laughed. Blake just nodded as she jumped down from the top bunk to the floor.

"Come on, let's head there before Ruby decides to find her way back and drag me there herself," Blake proclaimed.

"Good idea," Haruka stated.

As they made their way to Amity Coliseum, Blake kept debating about whether or not she should bring up a question she'd wanted to ask since the first tournament, where Nick had fought Team CRDL just to protect Velvet.

After a few seconds, Blake decided to just go with her gut.

"H-hey, Nick? I wanted to ask you something," Blake asked.

"What's up, Blake?" Nick replied, twirling the Kingdom Key in his right hand.

"I wanted your opinion on something," Blake continued. "What do you think of Faunus?"

At first, Nick realized he didn't know what a Faunus was, until he glanced up at Blake's cat ears and figured it out quickly. _Just like Velvet, except Velvet has rabbit ears. On that note, I hope Cardin and his posse aren't messing with her again._

"Well, to be honest with you, Blake, I never even knew what Faunus really _were_ until I came to this world," Nick answered. "To be fair, Weiss did tell me some of the stories about the persecution Faunus have suffered over the years."

"D-Did she also tell you about..."

"...that you used to be in the White Fang, yeah," Nick replied. "And, Blake, I think you already know my answer. You saw what happened when I caught CRDL messing with Velvet, right?"

Blake couldn't help but giggle at the memory of how Nick had laid Team CRDL flat so easily. "Yeah, I remember that one-sided fight."

"Blake, I don't take lightly to _anyone_ who persecutes or bullies people just because of certain _attributes_ , whether it's skin color, race, or even people with animal features like Faunus," Nick explained. "It's just the way I was raised. I just wish we could, I don't know, all get along for once."

Nick looked at his reflection in the Kingdom Key's blade. "So, to answer your question, Blake, I don't mind the Faunus. They're people just like us, even if they have cat ears, and anyone who thinks they're not is just a close-minded jerk."

Blake couldn't help but smile. That was another friend who wouldn't treat her different just because of her Faunus heritage.

"Count on Nick to always come through with the right thing to say," Maylin giggled.

* * *

"Hey, you made it!" Ruby exclaimed as the trio walked into Amity Coliseum with Blake following them. Weiss and Yang were sparring at the opposite end of the hallway.

"Wouldn't miss it, Ruby," Haruka stated. "Here's hoping this tournament's gonna be a good one."

"You'd better believe it!" Ruby proclaimed. "The Gold Championship's ready to go for you guys! Make sure you give us a good show, because this is where it gets more challenging."

"I'm looking forward to it," Haruka laughed.

"Of course you are," Maylin groaned as the trio teleported to the main arena.

"Well, you guys ready for this?" Nick asked as he selected the Gold Championship from the bracket menu, causing the arena to shift into a fire and ice-themed configuration.

"Let's go!" Maylin exclaimed, and the trio summoned their keyblades for battle.

The first group of Heartless wasted no time in spawning around them. The battle viewscreen indentified the first group as "Dusk Vanguard", consisting of three Shadows and five Gargoyles.

"Okay, talk about your Halloween Town rejects," Nick quipped.

"Gargoyles like to stay in the air and fire at you from afar," Haruka explained. "Get in close and they won't stand a chance."

As Maylin and Haruka went to mop up the Shadows, Nick leaped into the air and lashed out with an aerial combo that ended in a Hurricane Period, destroying two of the Gargoyles.

The three remaining Gargoyles began to flash step around to avoid getting hit, only for Maylin to cast a Magnet spell and trap them together, giving the young mage enough time to obliterate them with a Thunder spell.

"Next!" Maylin shouted.

"How about you, um, I dunno, stop taunting them?" Haruka sighed.

"They're simulations, they can't hear me!" Maylin exclaimed.

The second group spawned in, "Minions of Horror", consisting of four Preachers, an Air Soldier, and two Barrel Spiders.

"Oh, goody, these nuts again," Maylin quipped, lashing out with an overhead strike and cutting a Preacher in half. "I still say some religious guy's gonna get offended."

"Is this _really_ the time, Maylin?!" Haruka shouted as the two Barrel Spiders charged her, only for her to slash the Air Soldier into the Barrel Spiders, which exploded and destroyed all three enemies.

The remaining three Preachers surrounded Nick, intending to pincer him, but Nick leapfrogged off one of them to slash through another before tossing the Kingdom Key outwards so that it spun through the air and destroyed the last two.

"Easy enough," Nick quipped. "But I have a feeling it's gonna get trickier now."

Group three, "Magic Alert", emerged in response to that, consisting of a Pagemaster and four Green Requiems.

"Okay, why do they _always_ come with the healers?!" Maylin growled, chasing after a Green Requiem.

The Pagemaster formed a scythe with some of its pages and began cutting wildly through the empty air, as if daring the trio to come closer.

"I don't think we're going to get anywhere unless we take the healers down first," Haruka proclaimed.

"Let me take care of that," Nick stated, charging himself up for a few seconds before casting a Stopra spell on the group of Heartless, freezing them in time.

"Whoa, where did you learn Stop?" Maylin gasped.

"Got a spell coin for returning the page we just found," Nick replied. "Let's talk about that later and mop these losers up!"

The trio went to work and hacked away at the Green Requiems until the Stopra spell wore off and they all disintegrated.

"And that just leaves you," Maylin proclaimed, firing a Thunder spell at the Pagemaster, only for it to deflect it by creating a large page in front of itself.

Nick was already on the move before Maylin could complain, slashing through the page shield and cutting the Pagemaster in half.

"That's why you don't block your vision, buddy," Nick quipped.

The fourth group, "Stray Phantom", appeared for battle, consisting of four Gargoyles and three Lance Soldiers.

Haruka was the first to jump in, leaping into the air and coming down to slam Divine Rose into the ground, creating a pink shockwave around her that sent the Lance Soldiers flying, allowing Nick and Maylin to clean then up easily.

The Gargoyles decided to hover high above the arena and fire energy blasts from afar.

"Stop sniping and get down here!" Maylin growled, casting a Gravity spell and causing the Gargoyles to crash to the ground. Nick switched to Truth Seeker and blasted through the Gargoyles with a Sonic Blade.

"That's that," Nick stated.

Group five, "Red Legion", consisted of a Search Ghost and eight Red Nocturnes. Nick almost flinched at Maylin's vexed expression.

"You know what, _no_ ," Maylin proclaimed, casting a Magnet spell to group all of the Heartless together, at least glad that they weren't immune to Magnet. Nick quickly rushed in and unleashed an Ars Arcanum to wipe out the whole group.

Unfortunately, Maylin's anger hadn't exactly subsided, as the sixth group, "Blue Legion", consisted of two Search Ghosts and seven Blue Rhapsodies.

"Okay, what the _hell_ is this, 'Pick on the Mage Day'?!" Maylin shouted. "I'm _really_ getting sick of this nonsense!"

Deciding to try a new tactic she'd learned a while back, Maylin cast a quick enchantment on Spellbinder, then threw it out to pierce one of the Blue Rhapsodies. As she threw it, though, a long string of magic kept it bound to her hand. This way, Maylin could swing Spellbinder around on the magic chain like a whip, cutting down the Blue Rhapsodies with each swing.

"Yeah, how does _that_ feel?!" Maylin shouted. " _Fear_ my inventiveness!"

"You got that from Kratos, didn't you?" Haruka quipped, recognizing the technique Maylin was using.

"It's not _my_ fault that he's got the coolest weapons in all of Greece!" Maylin giggled as she swung out one more time to destroy a Search Ghost.

Nick performed a jumping slash attack to finish off the final Search Ghost, then prepared himself for the next group. _I really should ask them about these other worlds they've been to sometime._

Group seven, "Dark Squadron", appeared, consisting of a Preacher, a Pagemaster, two Soldiers, and two Lance Soldiers.

"Oh, _fun_ ," Maylin groaned, blasting the Pagemaster in the face with a Thunder spell, only for it to recover quickly and surround itself with a whirlwind of paper.

Nick knocked the Preacher's blades aside and finished it off with a quick horizontal slash so he could focus his attention on the real threat, the Pagemaster.

The Pagemaster inched closer, still surrounded by a tornado of pages, but Nick decided to cut through the attack with a Strike Raid, knowing to keep his distance, as those pages would hurt him badly if they got to him. After six throws, the Pagemaster could take no more, and dropped its book before exploding.

"There we go," Nick quipped. "Now let's get the small fry."

The two Soldiers fell to a Blizzard spell from Nick while Maylin attacked the Preacher, leaving Haruka to fend off the two Lance Soldiers. One of the Lance Soldiers lunged forward, only for Haruka to parry and counterattack, destroying that one before spinning around and cutting down the other with an overhead swing.

"All right, who's next?" Haruka wondered.

Her question was answered by the eight group, "Mad Fungus", consisting of a Black Fungus and four Green Requiems.

"See?! I KNEW it! These super-annoying ones always come with the healers in tow!" Maylin shouted.

"Sorry! That one was my idea!" Yang called from afar.

Maylin just shook her head. "Trolled by Goldilocks..."

Deciding to deal with that later, Maylin again enchanted Spellbinder so she could swing it around on a whip, cutting down the Green Requiems one by one until only the Black Fungus remained.

Nick was already on the offensive, blasting the Black Fungus back with a Ripple Drive, only for it to turn to stone and deflect his next attack.

"Hmmm... I wonder..." Nick thought, leaning back before attacking with a Gravity Break, which broke through the Black Fungus' stone self and finished it off.

"Way to improvise, fearless leader!" Maylin exclaimed.

The ninth group, "Sorcerous Armor", appeared next, consisting of two Red Nocturnes, two Blue Rhapsodies, and the Guard Armor.

"Okay, didn't see _that_ coming," Maylin quipped.

"Come on, we can take it!" Haruka exclaimed.

After a few quick slashes to take down the mages, the trio jumped into battle with the Guard Armor.

"Maylin, hit him while I've got it distracted!" Haruka shouted.

"Roger dodger!" Maylin replied, casting a Thunder spell that struck the Guard Armor directly in its torso, forcing it backwards.

Nick took this opportunity to strike, slashing the two legs away from him before hacking away at the vulnerable torso.

Just then, the Guard Armor began to spin wildly, forming a sort of tornado around itself.

This time, Maylin knew to stay back, hitting her Aero spell coin three times to cast Aero on all three of them.

Haruka, meanwhile, was fighting the Guard Armor's rogue legs. She continued to sidestep away to avoid the shockwaves that the armored feet produced with every step before jumping in to strike.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere fast," Haruka groaned. She then leapt back before jumping into the air and slamming Divine Rose down hard, creating a radial shockwave that destroyed both of the Guard Armor's legs.

"All right, two down and three to go!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Is anyone else getting déjà vu again?" Maylin wondered.

"It's basically the same guy, only this time we're a lot stronger," Nick replied. "Déjà vu is bound to happen."

The Guard Armor eventually started spinning again, but this time it began to hop up and down while spinning, creating tremors every time it impacted the ground.

After about eight tremors, Maylin decided she'd had enough, casting Blizzara to cut through the spinning attack and causing the Guard Armor to drop to the ground.

Haruka wasted no time in rushing over and slashing at both of the prone arms with Divine Rose, destroying them with one quick strike. "All right, Nick, finish him off!"

"My pleasure," Nick proclaimed before charging straight for the Guard Armor's vulnerable torso.

The Guard Armor attempted to pick itself up, but Nick was faster on the draw, ripping forward with one mighty slash.

Once the Guard Armor had vanished, Maylin smiled brightly. "Look how strong we've become! That didn't take anywhere near as long as the first time!"

"I was half-expecting that thing to turn into the Opposite Armor when we beat it," Haruka replied. "Just cautious, after all."

Nick just stood his ground, ready for the Gold Championship's final opponent. He had a pretty good idea who it was, too.

Almost on time, footfalls caught the trio's attention, and they turned around to see Blake standing there, both halves of Gambol Shroud out and ready for battle.

"You guys did great out there," Blake proclaimed. "But now we'll see how you fare against a _real_ ninja."

"Oh, we definitely will," Nick proclaimed, readying the Kingdom Key for a battle.

"Give 'em heck, Blakey!" Yang called from the stands, causing Blake to blush slightly before shaking it off to focus on the impending fight.

"I swear, she does that just to make me blush," Blake quipped.

"Irma does that _all_ the time," Nick replied. "But, to the business at hand... show me what you've got, Blake."

 **("From Shadows" by Casey Lee Williams and Jeff Williams plays)**

Blake was the one to make the first move, whipping out the katana of Gambol Shroud on a long ribbon. The attack came so fast that Nick barely had any time to get Kingdom Key up to block the attack, and even still, the strike pushed Nick back a few inches.

"Aw, she ganked my gimmick!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Not the time, doof," Haruka quipped.

Before Nick could get his bearings, Blake yanked the ribbon back, causing the katana to slice past him as well, catching him on the shoulder and spinning him around so Blake could move in and strike with both blades. Thankfully, Nick recovered just in time to cast Reflect, though Blake kept her distance, having personally seen what that spell had done to Ruby and Weiss when it had been their turn to fight.

Instead, Blake began to fire at the barrier from afar, attempting to force Nick out of his safe zone. And eventually, it seemed to work, making Nick realizing that the battle wasn't going to go anywhere if this kept up, so he dispelled the barrier and rushed back into the fray.

Nick continued to dodge through the shots that Blake was firing until she attempted to slash at him with the sharpened sheath. Nick ducked the attack and struck hard with an overhead chop, only for it to seemingly cut Blake in half.

Before Nick was able to panic, Blake had completely vanished.

"W-what did I just do?" Nick gasped.

"NICK, INCOMING!" Maylin screamed.

Nick only had time to look up and see Blake falling straight towards him from the air before she brought both blades down in a fierce attack, sending Nick crashing to the ground hard.

Blake grinned at this, glad to have perfected a counterattack like this. She'd have to thank Weiss later for giving her the idea.

"Nick, think fast!" Maylin exclaimed, tossing Nick a spell coin. Nick caught it and focused on its power, casting a Cure spell to heal himself.

 _So now I know all the spells Maylin does,_ Nick thought. _Let's see if magic can expose the ninja._

As Blake charged again, Nick switched over to Signal Beacon so his magic would be enhanced, and shot a Fira attack straight for the rampaging ninja.

Blake quickly summoned a shadow clone to tank the hit before leaping over it to slash at Nick with the katana, who countered with a point-blank Thunder spell that blasted Blake back to the opposite end of the arena.

A quick glance at the viewscreen showed that Blake's aura was at about seventy percent, with Nick's at about seventy-five percent.

"Gotta hand it to ya, Blake," Nick quipped. "You've given me quite a fight so far."

"I could say the same for you," Blake replied before dashing back into the fray, swinging both blades of Gambol Shroud out.

Nick swung upwards and across to deflect both strikes, then cast Blizzara in hopes of halting Blake's charge. Blake simply summoned another clone to take the hit, only to have it suddenly glow red.

"What the...?" was all Nick had time to get out before the shadow clone exploded, knocking him down to the ground so Blake could renew her double-directional attack.

Nick lashed out with his keyblade, parrying every attack he could while waiting for an opening in Blake's defenses.

"Gotcha!" Nick shouted, knocking the katana away during one of Blake's wild slashes and unleashing an Ars Arcanum, dropping Blake's aura to about thirty percent.

Blake leaped back before jumping a short distance into the air and whipping both blades around on ribbons, creating a sphere of slashes all around her and forcing Nick to go on the defensive until the attack ended.

When Blake landed, she began to flash step all over the arena so Nick couldn't get a bead on her.

Every now and then, Blake would lash out with the katana, landing a few hits on Nick while he couldn't lock on to her.

Deciding that the battle had to end, Nick raised his keyblade and cast Magnet behind Blake to draw her in so he could leap out and attack, only for Signal Beacon to phase right through her.

Expecting the counterattack this time, Nick danced around the strike, switched to World System, and delivered one final slash that brought Blake to her knees and her aura down to eight percent, signaling the battle's end.

Nick had to drop to his knees as well; that had been quite an exhausting effort. He even noticed that his "aura" was down to about twenty percent. In his battles with Ruby and Weiss, his hadn't gone down below the halfway mark.

"Guess I was right about things getting trickier from here," Nick gasped. "Good match, Blake. Way to push me against the wall."

"You're no slouch yourself," Blake admitted. "You really gave it your all out there. Best match I've ever been a part of."

Blake handed Nick an Ability Crystal, this one glowing bright green. "I figured you could have this for winning the tournament, since you probably know more about it then I do."

Nick accepted the crystal and absorbed its power into his body. Maylin quickly rushed to the arena console and typed something in, causing the arena to spawn a Large Body.

Nick rushed in to attack with his new ability, knocking the Large Body around with a quick series of slashes that actually made him levitate into the air as he did so. Once the barrage was over, Nick pointed his keyblade towards the Large Body, swirls of light gathering around the blade's teeth. After a second to charge up, Nick fired the energy in the form of a barrage of laser beams that all converged directly on the Large Body and destroyed it effortlessly.

"Awesome!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'm calling that one Ragnarok," Nick quipped. "Makes sense, after all, with the raining down of doom lasers."

"That sounds like something Ruby would say," Blake giggled.

"I guess you guys are rubbing off on me," Nick laughed.

Meanwhile, from far away, Cinder was watching the events that had unfolded. She figured it was time to report to Red about a backup plan, just in case things went south.

"Those kids are annoyingly persistent, after all," Cinder noted. "And if they're only getting stronger, I need to be sure that this chick we're putting back together is really as all that as Red thinks she is..."

* * *

"Well, guys, that's another tournament down," Haruka quipped as the Gummi Ship set off in pursuit of the next world. "You think there's gonna be any more?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's gonna be more," Nick responded. "They're cooking up new ones every time we stop on by."

"Hey, I heard rumblings about a Grand Championship," Maylin stated. "Ruby and Weiss were discussing it. Apparently, it's like the ultimate tournament that Beacon Academy has to offer!"

"And I'm assuming it's not ready yet?" Haruka quipped.

"Well, duh," Maylin stated. "They want to hold it once the Vytal Festival's over, 'cause everyone's focusing on that."

"Think we should stop by the Vytal Festival sometime?" Nick wondered.

"Good idea! I'm sure Ruby's gonna call us when it's started," Maylin stated.

"But, as long as they're preparing, let's let 'em do that," Haruka proclaimed. "The worlds are calling, after all."

"All right, then, let's move out!" Maylin exclaimed.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Hey, wait a second, did we jump back to the 1920s?

Haruka: Why _that_ specific time period?

Maylin: Gangsters, mob bosses, tommy guns, that whole shtick.

Nick: I dunno, did the 1920s have adorably cute opera-singing _zombies_?

Haruka: Or a shape-shifting nun who's really an eldritch abomination from the depths of whatever hell this place has?

Maylin: ...this is only going to get stranger, isn't it?

Nick: After everything we've seen so far, I think "strange" is the understatement of the freaking _century_. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Be Still My Heart"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	12. Be Still My Heart

Now Haruka definitely couldn't ignore how the Lanes Between were getting darker and more shrouded as the continued on their journey.

"You think we're approaching something _big_?" Maylin wondered.

"Gotta be," Haruka quipped as they shot down some more Heartless ships that had tried to u-turn away from them.

"I wonder if it's because we're approaching whatever world that villains' council is using," Nick theorized. "With all those villains and bad guys, it's gotta be overflowing with darkness."

"It's probably a sign that we're close to ending this long, drawn-out battle," Maylin noted as the Gummi Ship transformed into Falcon Mode to destroy a wall of ships blocking their path.

"Here's hoping," Nick replied. "I just want to find Marie so we can go home once this is all over."

Suddenly, a shadow enshrouded the cockpit, the cause being a gigantic Heartless ship flying just above them.

"HOLY..." Maylin gasped. "That thing's freakin' _huge_!"

"Let's shoot it down before it gets us," Haruka replied, firing off a few cannon shots at the large ship.

The giant ship proved to be sturdier than expected, as after at least twelve Falcon Cannon shots, it was still intact.

"Oh, that's not good," Haruka stated. To the trio's surprise, the cruiser just flew off, as if it didn't want to stay in the fight.

"It... just chickened out?" Maylin quipped. "That's... _weird_."

"Probably not the last we'll see of it," Haruka replied. "But, on to the business at hand, new world dead ahead!"

"Um, is this one stuck in the past?" Maylin wondered. "Because this seriously looks like something that jumped right out of a mobster movie."

"Let's see if it matches the description, then. Prepare for landing!" Haruka stated.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** It's been seven years since the Great War that nearly brought the Canopy Kingdom to its knees, and rumors say that a Skullgirl has once again awakened to terrorize the kingdom. Our trio arrives just in time to help a cute zombie who was supposed to be one of the Skullgirl's minions. Apparently, she has some strange ties to the past, especially where the Skull Heart is involved. Can Nick, Maylin, and Haruka help Squigly find who is responsible for her death before the Skullgirl destroys New Meridian?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World** : This episode brings us to Lab Zero Games' _Skullgirls_ , specifically the _2_ _nd_ _Encore_ version because it's the one I own. For this one specifically, we'll be following the story path of everyone's favorite opera-singing zombie Squigly. Now, I am by no means a competitive fighting game player, but if I was, Squigly would be my main because she's my favorite Skullgirls character.

* * *

Episode 12: Be Still My Heart

Squigly was in disbelief as she walked through the city streets, seeing with her own eyes how much New Meridian differed from when she was still alive.

"This is so strange," Squigly stated. "I don't even recognize the city anymore. Just how long were we asleep?"

"I cannot say for sure," Leviathan, Squigly's loyal parasite, responded. "But the stench of the Medicis still reigns."

"Maybe we should ask someone if they know what's going on," Squigly wondered. After what had just happened with the Skullgirl and the Black Egrets, it definitely appeared that trouble was brewing in New Meridian.

"That would be a good idea," Leviathan stated.

"Oh, how about them?" Squigly asked.

"This is _so weird_ ," Maylin quipped as they gazed around the city of New Meridian. "It'd be even weirder if I wasn't witnessing it with my own eyes."

"Maylin, honestly, after all the strange places we've been to on our journey, does a normal-looking city that's stuck in 1920s mob culture seem all that odd to you?" Nick stated.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way..." Maylin groaned.

"Let's keep our eyes open," Haruka stated. "I don't think this city is as up-and-up as it looks, especially if that giant explosion I heard earlier is any indication."

"Um, excuse me?"

The trio halted just in time to see Squigly walk up to them. "Do you know what year this is?"

"ACK! ZOMBIE!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder to her hands.

"Maylin, down," Nick quipped, holding his hand out to keep Maylin from going on a rampage. "Let's find out whether she's friend or foe before we go hacking anything up."

Nick reached his hand out to Squigly. "Sorry about that. Maylin's been kind of on edge lately."

"Oh, it's no problem. Nothing I'm not used to," Squigly laughed, shaking Nick's hand. "Sienna Contiello, but please, call me Squigly. The pleasure's all mine."

"I'm never going to get used to this," Maylin quipped, resting Spellbinder on her shoulder.

"The city's changed so much while I've been gone. Do the three of you live around here?" Squigly wondered.

"Actually, we were hoping to get some info on the city ourselves," Nick replied. "We're not from, shall we say, 'around here'."

"He speaks the truth," Leviathan stated. "I don't know what it is, but I can sense great power from them..."

"Do you think it could be...?" Squigly started, only to be interrupted as a group of Heartless spawned around them.

"Seriously, this is _really_ starting to get annoying!" Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder back to her hands.

Many of the Heartless around them resembled mummies with long, lanky arms.

"Wight Knights are tricky little buggers," Haruka explained. "They can deflect your attacks easily with those long arms, so don't give them a chance."

One of the Wight Knights began to spin its arms around, allowing Nick to see that while spinning, they could only attack in front of them, so he leaped into the air and crossed the distance with a Hurricane Period, striking the Wight Knight in the head and destroying it.

Maylin raised Spellbinder and cast Thundara, causing lightning bolts to rain down from the sky on the Wight Knights, easily destroying a few of them. The few that remained immediately advanced on Maylin, only for Squigly to jump into the fray and spin around so that Leviathan could whip his sharp tail out at the Wight Knights, piercing one of them in the chest and striking another so hard that its head came flying off.

Two more Wight Knights tried to ambush Squigly, but Leviathan simply opened his mouth to breathe a stream of fire that destroyed the Wight Knights.

"You will not harm my lady while I still breathe," Leviathan proclaimed.

One last Wight Knight attempted to leap through the air towards Squigly where Leviathan couldn't catch it, but Nick saw the leap and intercepted with a Strike Raid, the Kingdom Key spinning through the air and splitting the Wight Knight in half.

"There we go," Nick quipped.

"What manner of monsters were _those_ things?" Leviathan proclaimed. "What sort of nightmares has the Skullgirl dredged up this time?"

"I don't know," Squigly answered. "I couldn't feel the Skullgirl's influence on them..."

"We should probably get moving before more of them show up," Haruka stated. "I don't like the look of this place."

And so, the group took off through the streets of New Meridian, hoping to find out who was the cause of the troubles plaguing the city.

"Should we be letting them tag along, my lady?" Leviathan wondered. "We would not want them to get caught up in our affairs."

"They saved us from those monsters," Squigly answered. "The least we can do is help them out with their mission."

"So, pardon if I'm intruding," Nick quipped, swinging the Kingdom Key to dispatch an incoming Soldier. "But what exactly is this Skullgirl you're looking for?"

Squigly shuddered slightly, as if reliving a bad memory.

 _Oh, crap, I did it again,_ Nick thought.

"There is no need to worry," Leviathan stated, sensing Nick's distress. "We just have history with the Skullgirl. The Skull Heart is a monstrous piece of work."

"Legends say that it can grant any wish," Squigly continued. "But if the wisher possess even the slightest amount of impurity in their soul, the Skull Heart will corrupt the young maiden's wish and transform them into a Skullgirl, a being of unimaginable horror. Long ago, my mother was deceived and became a Skullgirl, so..."

"That's who you're looking for, isn't it?" Maylin realized. "Because you have unfinished business with them."

"Exactly," Squigly replied. "I'm looking for the man who killed me and made me like this. I believe the current Skullgirl may know something."

"Now, if you would kindly answer an inquiry of our own," Leviathan stated. "What were those nightmares we faced earlier?"

"Heartless," Haruka explained. "Creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts. That's why we came to this world. We're trying to find out who's behind the Heartless invasion and stop it before it spreads too far."

"And if this Skullgirl finds out how to control the Heartless, New Meridian may not last much longer," Nick stated. "So let's go find that Skullgirl before she causes any more trouble."

After a few minutes of wandering around, the group encountered strange, shambling creatures.

"W-what the hell?!" Maylin squeaked. "Z-zombies?! Actual, mindless zombies that _aren't_ adorable like Squigly?!"

"No doubt the Skullgirl's minions," Leviathan proclaimed. "The risen dead are controlled by the Skullgirl's monstrous power. We must return them to the grave."

"Fine by me," Nick quipped, unleashing an Ars Arcanum to cut down multiple zombies in one go.

Maylin spun around before casting a Thundara spell to vaporize a few more zombies before turning her attention to another group, melting them with a Fira spell.

Haruka leaped to Squigly's defense, slamming Divine Rose into the ground and using her favorite shockwave attack to disperse the shambling horde before swinging out and cutting two or three down with each swing.

But still more zombies continued to approach the group.

"Okay, this isn't getting anywhere!" Maylin exclaimed. "How many of these rotting messes does the Skullgirl control?!"

"I suggest a tactical retreat," Leviathan stated.

And so they did just that, moving away from the zombie horde and towards a large circus that had been close by.

"This is nuts," Maylin groaned. "It's almost as if every new world we end up in has some new kind of nonsense for us to deal with!"

As Nick rested Kingdom Key on his shoulder, he suddenly realized something about what Leviathan had said earlier.

"Hey, Squigly?" Nick asked. "Leviathan said that the zombies are all just puppets of the Skullgirl. No offense, but why doesn't that extend to you?"

Before Squigly could answer that inquiry, a large Heartless ripped its way through a portal of darkness and stomped its feet in challenge. It was a very disfigured creature, almost resembling a cross between Frankenstein's monster and the Grim Reaper, with bolts through its neck and hands and clutching two large scythes.

"What monstrosity is _this_?!" Leviathan shouted.

"I think I know who this one came from," Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder.

"Let's just take it down before it causes any damage," Nick stated, switching over to World System.

The Frightmare roared in challenge before lashing out, swinging its scythes in every conceivable direction so as to not give the group any room to attack it.

"Okay, large man, let's see if you can handle the heat!" Maylin shouted, aiming Spellbinder for the Frightmare and unleashing a Fira spell that broke through the swinging scythes and exploded into the Frightmare's chest, forcing it a few steps back so Haruka could go on the offensive, slashing at the Frightmare's chest with Divine Rose.

The Frightmare quickly recovered itself and began to strike directly at the ground, dragging the scythe blade through the dirt and unleashing a well of blue flames from the trench.

"Oh, come on, is _that_ your best trick?!" Maylin shouted, casting a Blizzard spell to quell the flames before blasting the Frightmare in the face with a Thunder spell.

The Frightmare stomped on the ground a few times before raising its hands and unleashing lightning bolts from the screws in its hands. Maylin was so surprised by this maneuver that she couldn't dodge in time, and was thrown back into one of the nearby tents, surprising its occupant.

"Ooh, you're gonna pay for that!" Maylin exclaimed, casting Cure on herself before charging back into the fray with a loud battle cry. Cerebella just looked on, a tad confused until she got a good look at the Frightmare.

"Holy...!" Cerebella gasped before retrieving Vice-Versa and moving in to investigate.

Nick swung a few times to counter the scythe blades that were heading his way before moving through a drop in the Frightmare's guard and cutting loose with an Ars Arcanum.

Suddenly, the Frightmare stumbled to the ground, and a quick sweep of its punched-out legs revealed Cerebella, having used Vice-Versa's giant fists to send the Frightmare to its knees.

"Hey, freak boy, _no one_ messes with the Cirque de Cartes on my watch!" Cerebella shouted as Vice-Versa lashed out and punched the Frightmare directly in its grotesque face.

"Who could this be?" Squigly wondered.

"Hey, as long as she's helping us out, that's good enough for me!" Maylin exclaimed.

As the Frightmare reeled from Cerebella's attack, Nick leaped for the face and slashed a few times, right on the scars that crossed over its eyes. The Frightmare bellowed in rage and swung its scythes out, intending to cut Nick into three different chunks. Nick simply cast Reflect, then shattered the barrier to throw the damage back, causing the Frightmare to crash to its knees.

"My lady, I am sensing a lot of wayward magic in the air," Leviathan proclaimed. "Mayhap a result of this protracted battle."

"What should we do, then?" Squigly wondered.

At the mention of "wayward magic", Nick realized something.

"Ladies, I think I know who would be perfect for this one," Nick quipped, fetching the Skydiamond from his pocket.

"Well, then stop wasting time and bring her out!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick clutched the Skydiamond tightly, focusing his power into it as Maylin and Haruka disappeared from sight.

 **("Innocent Starter" by Nana Mizuki plays)**

Nick tossed the Skydiamond into the air, then aimed the Kingdom Key at it. Tendrils of wind exploded from the keyblade's teeth and surrounded the Skydiamond before absorbing themselves into it and causing a bright explosion of light.

Nanoha rode down on the air currents, already providing Nick with a barrier to protect him from the worst the Frightmare could offer.

The Frightmare didn't seem to discouraged, lumbering toward Nick and attempting to cut through the barrier, only for Nanoha to flick her right hand out and send the barrier straight into the Frightmare's chest, knocking it back quickly.

Deciding that this battle had to end before any more damage could be done to the Cirque de Cartes, Nick signaled to Nanoha, who nodded and flew to just above the Frightmare, channeling all the nearby wayward magic into her device.

The Frightmare attempted to pick itself up, but it was far too late, as Nanoha thrust her hands downwards and unleashed Starlight Breaker, the gigantic blast thundering down through the air and enveloping the Frightmare. When the attack dispersed, there was absolutely nothing left of the Frightmare.

Cerebella couldn't help but smile at the display as Nanoha waved to Nick before returning to the Skydiamond and allowing Maylin and Haruka to return.

"Well, that was a thing," Maylin quipped. "How much do you wanna bet that this Mariko chick's watching us from somewhere?!"

"Wouldn't surprise me," Haruka stated. "She has it out for us."

"Now that this unfortunate incident has been settled," Leviathan proclaimed, "we should really continue our search for the Skull Heart. We simply cannot allow this abomination to stay in our world."

"Hey, thanks for helping us out, miss," Nick stated to Cerebella, who just smiled. "Really appreciate it."

"Hey, I've stomped my fair share of monsters before, one more isn't gonna stop me," Cerebella quipped. "No Franken-creep's gonna wreck _my_ circus. But, hey, if you're looking for the Skull Heart, try looking at the cathedral. That's where a lot of strange things have been happening."

"We'll keep that in mind," Nick stated as the group exited the Cirque de Cartes. Nick was able to use his keyblade like a beacon to track the source of the evil energy being emitted by the Skull Heart, so it was a rather easy trek to the source of the problem.

"Forgive us for asking about it again, but you three possess a great power, as we no doubt have witnessed," Leviathan proclaimed. "Where does this power of yours come from?"

"You're lookin' at it," Maylin quipped as the trio re-summoned their keyblades. "We're traveling the worlds so we can use the keyblade to stop the Heartless from swallowing everything in darkness."

"Okay, so, if you don't mind me asking... why exactly are you a zombie, Squigly?" Haruka wondered. "I mean, I don't mind that you are, but like we saw before, every zombie in the city is under the Skullgirl's control. We never got the answer to why it's not the same with you."

Squigly sighed heavily. She didn't really like recounting her tragic past, but these people had been so accommodating to her, and they were offering their help against the Skullgirl, so she figured it wouldn't hurt.

"It has to do with my connection to the Skull Heart," Squigly began. "It all started about fourteen years ago. I am the lone survivor of the Contiello family, a group of world-famous opera singers. The Medici family were our clients, but their mafia viewed us as their rivals."

Squigly closed her eyes as the memories began to flood her mind. "Lorenzo Medici ordered his top assassin Black Dahlia to silence the Contiello family."

Nick didn't need an answer to know that Squigly had also been a victim, as the hole in her head where Leviathan currently resided told him everything he needed about that.

"My corpse became one of the Skullgirl's undead minions, but I was properly laid to rest once the threat was over," Squigly continued. "I awakened recently, expecting to be the same, but Leviathan is the reason why I still retain my free will."

"Of course, my lady," Leviathan stated. "I would never back down from you."

"That is why I have made it my mission to destroy the Skull Heart," Squigly finished. "I will not allow that cursed artifact to wreak its havoc as long as I have free will. Not after what happened to my mother..."

The group stopped near the cathedral in question, which looked dreadfully imposing, no doubt the lair of this Skullgirl. Nick could easily since the evil flowing from that stairway.

"Looks like this is it," Nick quipped. "Let's go and end this Skullgirl business."

And so they descended down into the cathedral's catacombs, the evil energy growing closer and closer as they moved, until they came out in a large area with strange blue vessels snaking out from a central point.

Squigly was the first to tense up upon catching sight of the Skullgirl, Bloody Marie herself, being held up by those blue vessels.

"Not what I expected, honestly," Maylin quipped.

"That Parasite of yours," Bloody Marie proclaimed. "It's unusual, how it actually seems to be blocking my influence. Yet, you still possess a strong connection to the Heart. And through it, I can sense that you, too, seek revenge against the Medicis, more specifically the man that silenced you."

"I believe you are a good person at heart, but the Skull Heart's power is poisoning your mind and body," Squigly countered. "Even when you saved those people, I could feel its hate festering within you."

Flashes of Selene as the Skullgirl flickered into Squigly's mind. "I've seen where that hatred ends, after all."

"But you are not immune to its corruption either, resistant though you may be," Bloody Marie challenged. "Do you seriously believe you can resist the Skull Heart? I can feel your will faltering, after all. It will overwhelm you before long!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Nick taunted, summoning the Imperial Blade to his hands. "This game ends here and now."

"Yeah, you need to give the dead the rest they deserve!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder. "You can't just pluck them like overripe fruit!"

"This is where we exact justice for everyone who has fallen to the Skull Heart's evil," Haruka proclaimed, summoning Divine Rose.

"Foolish outsiders," Bloody Marie bellowed. "Do not think you stand a chance."

"Wanna bet?!" Nick shouted as the Skull Heart itself glowed brightly, spreading bright blue blood vessels out across the entire area and transforming the catacombs into the Final Atrium.

"Show me your strength," Bloody Marie proclaimed, her body surrounded by four large demon skulls as she floated in the air.

Nick was the first to go on the offensive, leaping into the air to avoid the skulls Bloody Marie was throwing at him. A few of them were sent back to Bloody Marie with a quick swing of Imperial Blade, and even though they barely seemed to do damage, it accomplished Nick's intent of keeping her attention on him.

Maylin wasted no time in casting a Thunder spell, the bolt of lightning lancing out to strike Bloody Marie in the back, giving Squigly time to move in and attack, Leviathan's tail lashing out with surgical precision to attack Bloody Marie's weak points.

"Fool," Bloody Marie stated, raising her right hand and causing a row of demon's skulls to rush along the ground towards Nick, who cast Reflect to keep them away.

Maylin enchanted Spellbinder so she could swing it around on a magic whip, striking out at Bloody Marie and turning the Skullgirl's attention to her so Nick could switch to Truth Seeker and attack Bloody Marie with a Sonic Blade.

"This ends now," Bloody Marie proclaimed, the demon skulls surrounding her vanishing. Strange blue lines emerged from the Skull Heart behind her, forming a humanoid figure that extended from the Skull Heart itself. "You will feel my wrath."

Nick simply stood his ground, waiting for whatever the Skullgirl was going to pull off. A strange shadow flew at him from the Skull Heart, which Nick cut through easily.

"Is that _really_ the best you've got?!" Nick shouted. "I'm disappointed, Skullgirl!"

"You will pay for your insolence!" Bloody Marie shouted, sending out a skeletal minion to fly at Nick, who quickly dodged away from it and rushed in to deliver a few slashes to Bloody Marie's prone form before finishing with a Ripple Drive that separated Bloody Marie from the Skull Heart for a few seconds.

"Now's our chance, milady!" Leviathan shouted.

"Got it!" Squigly exclaimed, dashing in before anything could stop her and landing a decisive strike on the Skull Heart, which caused the figure coming from it to dissipate and caused Bloody Marie to fall to her knees in defeat.

"T-think about what you do," Bloody Marie proclaimed. "Lorenzo is on the run, and his empire is in disarray and vulnerable. Don't throw away our one chance to break his hold on the city!"

"Oh, can it," Nick growled, raising the Kingdom Key to strike the decisive blow, only to feel another strange power approaching rapidly.

Leviathan seemed to pick up on it faster, spinning around to see a large and grotesque fist approaching, with fingers made of mutated claws and a giant eye in the center of its palm.

"Squigly, behind you!" Leviathan exclaimed.

"I gave you another chance, and yet you _still_ disappoint me?!" a heavily distorted voice rang out from whoever the fist belonged to.

Squigly prepared herself for whatever would happen, only for a black blur to strike out and force the demonic hand back.

"Oh, a new challenger approaches!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Filia! You're helping us?" Squigly proclaimed to the new arrival, not having expected to see her again after the altercation they'd had earlier that day.

"Of course we are, so can the high-and-mighty crap," Samson, Filia's parasite, growled.

"Samson, knock it off," Filia reprimanded.

"While we appreciate the assistance, your ill intentions are something else entirely," Leviathan proclaimed.

"We'll worry about the Heart after this," Filia stated. "Let's team up and take this monster down!"

"I would be delighted, Filia," Squigly giggled.

"We should probably be careful," Maylin stated, readying Spellbinder for action again. "I can feel the same power as the Skull Heart coming in _droves_ from this mutilated nutball!"

Double simply smirked, phase-shifting back into its monstrous true form. "Squigly, that girl is a Medici," Double proclaimed, gesturing to Filia. "Do you still wish to ally with her, knowing that? Must I remind you of what happened when the Medicis and Contiellos previously came to blows?"

Squigly stood her ground, Leviathan already charging up. "Your words will not sway me, foul monster. I'll let Filia's actions speak for her, _not you_."

"Come on, Samson, let's make an impression," Filia proclaimed.

"Yeah, right on her _faces_!" Samson exclaimed.

"You would stand against me, too, wielders of the keyblade?" Double stated. "I would think the power you have been... _unfairly_ gifted with would have taught you a valuable lesson to never oppose those stronger than you."

"You _honestly_ think that's stopped us?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Do you _honestly_ know how many people who've claimed to be stronger than us? We whipped their faces anyway!"

"And you wouldn't believe how many times we've already heard people saying we're 'far too young to wield such power'," Haruka stated, quoting a certain hooded woman. "We really don't care about anything you have to say."

"So how about you just shut your distorted yap and take the beating you deserve?!" Nick shouted, bringing the Kingdom Key up into a battle stance.

Double simply melted into the ground and came back up as a great beast with many tendrils. The entire group split off in different directions to draw Double's attention away.

Leaping over a wayward tendril, Nick lashed out to strike Double's head, culminating in a Stun Impact that dazed the monster.

"Let 'em have it!" Nick exclaimed, to which Filia and Squigly rushed in to tag-team Double, using their parasites to great effect to deal as much damage to Double as they could.

When a break in their dual attack came, Maylin fired a Thunder spell right into Double's quivering mass, forcing the beast back. Haruka was right on Double's heels, delivering a low spin attack that created cutting light circles around her (Haruka affectionately dubbed it 'Round Break') to knock Double to her non-existent knees.

Nick continued the combo with a Hurricane Period straight to Double's head before jumping back to avoid retaliation.

"ENOUGH!" Double roared, shifting her mass to that of a large berserker wielding two fleshy weapons vaguely resembling keyblades.

"Oh, seriously, get a new act!" Maylin shouted, parrying one of the weapons as it ripped through the air. "You're not getting anywhere by just cribbing off of us!"

"This thing looks strong," Filia noted. "We're gonna need some heavy-duty hits to break through this."

"Hey, key boy," Samson proclaimed. "You up for a fastball special?"

"You know it," Nick quipped. Filia and Samson combined their strength and rolled into a large ball very reminiscent of a certain famous hedgehog before leaping into the air towards Nick.

As Double approached, Nick swung Kingdom Key like a baseball bat, sending Filia and Samson rocketing straight into Double's chest, dazing the monster for a few precious seconds.

Nick took his chance to rush in and attack, knocking Double around with a quick series of slashes that actually made him levitate into the air as he did so. Once the barrage was over, Nick pointed his keyblade towards Double, swirls of light gathering around the blade's teeth. After a second to charge up, Nick fired the energy in the form of a barrage of laser beams that all converged directly on Double and forced her back into her regular form.

"You ready to give it up?" Nick growled.

"You... underestimate how ruthless the Medicis can be," Double proclaimed. "I am surprised you didn't recognize me, Squigly."

"W-what?" Squigly gasped.

"I was there with your mother for her final birthday," Double explained, shapeshifting into a high-class female form. "It was such a blessed day, remember?"

Images flashed through Squigly's mind as she quickly realized what Double was referring to. "It... it was you all along!" Squigly exclaimed.

"Hardly, dear," Double cackled. "All I did was inform Lorenzo that the Contiellos were in possession of the Skull Heart. After that, all their generations of built-up trust and goodwill meant absolutely nothing. He may not have claimed the Heart, but the world knew that he came out unscathed, and the Contiellos silenced. Even now, fourteen years hence, your family's fate prevents others from opposing Lorenzo."

"I've heard enough out of you!" Squigly shouted. "For what you've done, demon, I will see you burn in hell!"

Leviathan opened his mouth wide and unleashed a massive blast of energy that ripped through Double's form.

"You exist only to manipulate," Squigly proclaimed. "I won't let you sway me!"

"Pitiful child..." Double gurgled, still attempting to hold her eviscerated mass together.

"Oh, just give it a rest," Nick quipped, walking up and slashing straight through Double, finally causing her to collapse into nothingness.

All was silent for a few seconds as everyone regrouped.

"I wish I knew what to say," Filia stated. "I didn't know about any of this..."

"It doesn't matter, Filia," Squigly answered. "The Skull Heart will never bring happiness to anyone. Not to you, your friend, or anyone."

Squigly turned around to glance at Bloody Marie, who, by some miracle, was still standing, even if it looked like she was seconds from death. "Lorenzo fought a Skullgirl before, but he didn't run. That must mean something else has hurt him. If so, he's weak and won't last."

"For everyone's sake, I hope you're right," Bloody Marie admitted. "But... I suppose you'd be the one to know."

And at last, Bloody Marie's form collapsed into pieces, leaving nothing but the Skull Heart behind, floating ominously in the air.

Squigly was about to let Leviathan destroy the cursed artifact when it began to shine with a white light.

"Oh, for god's sake, what now?!" Samson growled.

Inside the 'mouth' of the Skull Heart, Nick could see particles of energy forming a keyhole.

"Just one second, Squigly," Nick proclaimed, raising the Kingdom Key and firing a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click. "All right, go ahead."

Squigly bowed to Nick before flashing out with a strike from Leviathan's tail that pierced through the Skull Heart and vaporized it instantly.

"YES! And _down_ goes the evil skull thingy!" Maylin exclaimed.

But Maylin's mirth was cut short when she saw Squigly collapse to the ground.

"H-hey, Squigly, what happened?" Maylin gasped, scared that no response was coming. "Squigly?! Squigly, can you hear me?!"

Nothing happened. Haruka said nothing, but she knew what had happened; Squigly's connection to the Skull Heart meant that with its destruction, Squigly would 'die' again, only to reawaken when the Skull Heart did.

 _What will you do now, Leviathan?_ Squigly asked.

 _It seems we've become quite inseparable, milady,_ Leviathan answered. _I will stay with you until you next awaken._

 _Thank you..._

* * *

"Is this the last one?" Marie asked as she placed the prism-shaped crystal onto the altar where the others were resting.

"Yes, my dear," Red proclaimed, smiling wickedly even though his face was silhouetted by the reflection of the mirror. "We can begin very soon."

"Is this ritual really going to work in our favor?" Marie quipped. "And you haven't even told me who your third vessel is. All I see are those two Inaba wackos."

"All in good time, dearie," Risky quipped.

Marie still didn't like where this was going, but she wasn't exactly in a position to complain as she was.

 _So I watch and wait,_ Marie thought.

* * *

"So, where are you guys off to?" Filia asked. The trio had stayed a little while longer to give Squigly the burial she truly deserved.

It was a nice little place on the edge of town, under a large tree. A little statue of Leviathan had been carved to place on top of the headstone, which read _Here lies Sienna 'Squigly' Contiello and Leviathan. May they rest in peace, until we meet again._

"Oh, just places," Maylin answered. "Other worlds need our help, so we've gotta go help them, after all."

"Will you ever be back?" Filia wondered.

"I'm sure we will," Nick replied. "Once this whole business is wrapped up, we'll come back and visit. I'm sure Squigly would love that."

"Speaking of which, I think Squigly wanted you to have this," Filia stated, handing Nick a trinket.

As always, Nick attached the trinket to his keyblade and watched it transform. The handle guard was a replica of Samson's talons, at the hilt of the weapon was a skull that heavily resembled the Skull Heart, the blade was an almost exact replica of Leviathan with his head and open, razor-tooth-filled maw acting as the keyblade's teeth, and the keychain was the personal symbol of the Contiello family. The words _Immortal Meridian_ ran through Nick's head as he studied the weapon.

"I have a feeling this isn't the end of the Skullgirl, though, is it?" Haruka wondered.

"It comes back every seven years, apparently," Filia replied. "So there may not be a way to permanently destroy it."

"You guys will find a way," Maylin giggled. "You always do in the end."

"Yeah, we're not gonna let some sentient Halloween decoration do us in!" Samson proclaimed. "We're _way_ too strong for that!"

After saying their goodbyes to both Filia and Squigly, the trio teleported themselves back to the Gummi Ship, ready to begin the next leg of their adventure.

"I feel like we're learning a lot from all the worlds we've seen," Haruka quipped.

"A lot of them are worlds I never knew existed before all of this," Nick admitted as the Gummi Ship set off through the Lanes Between. "I mean, I knew that other worlds existed thanks to W.I.T.C.H. and the stories they've told me, but none like this!"

"It's a learning experience," Maylin stated. "If only you could have seen some of the worlds _we've_ been to before this..."

Nick didn't have to say a word to notice Maylin's slight expression change. It was gone in a flash, so quickly that most people wouldn't have noticed, but Nick prided himself on paying attention to what his friends were thinking.

The words 'if only you _could have_ seen' were what made Nick realize that a good few of the worlds that Maylin and Haruka had been to before he'd met them had most likely been attacked by the Heartless and cast into darkness before they could have found the keyholes.

And after hearing Maylin's admission that her parents had been killed by a Heartless, Nick was starting to understand a certain other possibility.

"Hey, Maylin?" Nick asked.

"What's up, Nick?" Maylin giggled.

Nick sighed, hoping Maylin wouldn't get upset. "I've been thinking about something you said to me about why you're on this journey."

Maylin tensed up, knowing that Nick had caught it.

"You said your parents had been killed by a Heartless," Nick stated. "And I thought about it, and I think I realized something. ...your world was taken by the Heartless, too, right?"

Maylin was silent for a few seconds, trying her best to not let the bad memories come rushing back to the surface. She'd held it in for three years, but hadn't expected Nick to figure it out so quickly.

"I've only ever told Haruka about this," Maylin stated, a few tears beginning to fall, but she signaled to Nick so he wouldn't freak out and think it was his fault. No, these tears were her own doing.

"But... you're right on the money, Nick. My world _was_ taken from me."

Nick didn't expect Maylin to burst into tears and throw herself at him, arms wrapped tightly around him and sobbing into his shoulder.

"H-hey, Maylin, I'm sorry..."

"No, it's not you, Nick. I've been keeping this in for three damn years, and it's about time I let it out," Maylin responded. "It was right after the Heartless invaded and killed my parents. I didn't know what to do, I was so frightened. I thought I was going to be next, but... everything was a blur after I fell. When I woke up, I was in Candracar. Himerish was the one who saved me."

Haruka cast a glance at Maylin from her seat, glad that her partner was finally willing to talk about the incident.

"He told me everything, about what had happened to my world, who was responsible... and then he offered me a chance to take back what I had lost," Maylin continued, wiping a few tears off with her sleeve. "He knew what I was feeling, the pain of loss I felt. He offered me something that could help me fight against the darkness that had taken everything from me. And that's when... I got my keyblade."

Maylin looked out at the star-filled void of the Lanes Between. "So, I spent the past three years traveling with Haruka to other worlds so we could protect them from the Heartless. I made it my life's goal that I would make sure no one would ever have to suffer what I did. We weren't always so lucky in finding the keyholes before it was too late, but we pressed on regardless."

Maylin summoned Spellbinder to her free hand, gazing at her reflection. "You know what it's like, Nick. You know how it feels to have everything taken away from you."

Nick didn't have to reply, but oh yes, he knew.

"I guess... that's why I felt like I could trust you with the one thing I've kept hidden from everyone but Haruka," Maylin explained, letting Spellbinder disappear. "I didn't know if they would understand what I've been through. But you've been through it yourself. You know the pain of losing everyone you've ever known or cared about."

Inwardly, Nick suddenly began worrying about how much Marie had changed since his world had been swallowed by darkness. Was _he_ losing everyone he cared about, too?

"That's why, when we finally meet whoever is controlling the Heartless, I wanna smack them so hard that they'll feel it for the rest of their lives. You and I, we both owe this bitch some _lumps_ after what they've put us through," Maylin proclaimed.

"Yeah, we'll show them who's boss," Nick quipped.

Maylin smiled brightly, a few tears still falling, as she leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek before cuddling into his side.

Haruka decided to just let the two have their moment, focusing on piloting the Gummi Ship to the next world in need of assistance. She was just happy that Maylin was opening up about the loss of her world.

 _After all, you lost your own world to those bastards,_ Haruka thought. _That's one thing all three of us have in common. Maybe it was fate that we'd all come together to fix things._

Haruka wasn't so sure she believed in fate, but she knew there were forces in this universe beyond their understanding.

Only time would tell if that was true or not.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Immortal Meridian  
** Strength: 12  
Magic: 7  
Ability: Combo Plus  
 _A keyblade representing the constant struggle between good and evil in New Meridian. A powerful weapon that is difficult to deflect, capable of inflicting mighty critical blows and increasing ground combos by one step._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Hey, did we go back in time again? Because this time, I think we're stuck in World War II!

Haruka: I don't know, but this place looks a little different than history said.

Nick: I'd have figured, from the red-haired witch girl flying through the air on a giant _rifle_ like it's a broomstick.

Maylin: Okay, what kind of witch uses a _rifle_ to _fly_ instead of shooting some hapless mooks with it?!

Nick: These kinds, apparently. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "The Witch Switch"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	13. The Witch Switch

"Are you doin' okay, Maylin?" Haruka asked, glancing back to where Nick and Maylin were still sitting.

"Yeah, I'll be all right," Maylin responded. "I guess I just needed to get that off my chest."

"I'm the same way, Nick, in case you were wondering," Haruka stated, shooting a few Heartless ships down with ease. "I lost my world to the Heartless, too. I guess I just took it better than Maylin, since... well, my parents weren't really all that nice to me. I still didn't want them to die, I just... wish they could have treated me better."

Nick knew exactly what an abusive parent could be like, considering what Will had gone through in dealing with her own father recently.

"It's been a lot of fun traveling with Maylin, learning about all these different worlds," Haruka continued. "Seeing places I never thought I'd get to see in my life."

"With how the Lanes Between are acting, it seems like we're getting closer and closer to the end of this quest," Maylin noted. "I hope we find this freak so I can pound them into oblivion for what they did!"

"We've all got a stake in this one, Maylin," Nick replied. "We just have to find the one responsible and take 'em down, and hopefully our worlds will be restored."

"I hope so," Maylin sighed. "I'm ready for this long and drawn-out nightmare to finally _end_..."

"Seatbacks stowed, passengers! New world, dead ahead!" Haruka exclaimed as the Gummi Ship parked in front of another new world, this one represented by a large forest area occupied by a few tanks.

"Hey, is this another one of those worlds that are stuck in the past?" Maylin quipped. "Because those tanks look like they jumped straight out of World War II..."

"Well, guess it's time for a history lesson," Haruka replied. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** In the early 1940s, the Germanian Empire and the Principality of Eylstadt are at war with each other. Eylstadt's trump card is Izetta, last of the witches and staunch ally of Eylstadt's princess. But when Finé seems to have disappeared, Izetta goes on a rampage trying to find her, not knowing that the aggressors may be the Heartless. And... what is Marie doing here?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World** : Okay, here's something a little different. For the past couple days, I've been checking out a new anime called _Izetta: The Last Witch_ by FUNimation, and I absolutely freakin' LOVE IT, even only three episodes in. That's where we're going today. We're not going beyond episode 3, as that's as far as I've watched as of this writing. And if you think these past couple chapters have been a little shorter than normal, worry not, for the next episode will most definitely be SUPER LONG.

* * *

Episode 13: The Witch Switch

"Princess?!" Izetta called out, riding her rifle through the forest in a frantic search for Finé. After the recent battle, Izetta had returned to the castle only to find Finé missing. No one knew what exactly had happened, but Izetta was determined to find the princess no matter what.

 _I just found you, princess,_ Izetta thought. _I swear to all that's still holy, I won't lose you again!_

After sweeping through the current area, Izetta caught a glimpse of strange figures making their way through the bushes down at ground level. Deciding it was a good place to start, Izetta steered down to investigate.

Maylin slashed through the obstructing bushes with Spellbinder, sighing in annoyance. "This is so stupid," Maylin groaned. "I shouldn't be getting trolled by _freakin' bushes!_ "

"I thought it was funny," Haruka giggled.

"Oh, sure, you _always_ find it funny," Maylin shot back.

"Let's just keep an eye out for anything out of place," Nick stated. "I have a feeling something's about to go down."

"Um, excuse me?!"

The trio immediately snapped to attention as Izetta came riding down on her gargantuan anti-tank rifle. Nick quickly picked up on Izetta's distress and realized that something was indeed up.

"Whoa, is she riding a freakin' _anti-tank rifle_ like it's a witch's broomstick?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Man, just when I think I've seen everything on this crazy quest of ours..."

"Have you seen a girl about my age?" Izetta stated. "Long blonde hair, green dress? I'm worried sick about her..."

"We just got here ourselves, so I wish there was more we could do..." Nick replied. "We can help you look for her, if that's okay?"

Nick stopped in his tracks when he saw Izetta curiously studying him. "Um... what's up?"

"You're not freaked out?" Izetta gasped. "T-that I'm a witch?"

"Well, to be honest, _I'm_ more surprised you're flying on a giant _rifle_ instead of a broomstick like your garden-variety witch," Maylin quipped. "But beside that, nah. I'm a mage myself!"

"Trust us, when you've seen all the crazy nonsense _we've_ seen, I don't think a witch riding a rifle would even faze us anymore," Nick responded.

Izetta immediately smiled. "Thanks. That really means a lot to me."

Before anyone could take another step, pools of darkness opened around them, spawning Heartless to surround them. The group mostly consisted of a few Lance Soldiers and Wight Knights, along with a few new ones who resembled tank cannons on wheels.

"W-what the heck are _these_?!" Izetta exclaimed.

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka immediately summoned their keyblades for battle.

"Okay, I haven't seen these guys in a while," Haruka quipped before turning to Nick so she could explain. "Tank Gunners are masters at long-range bombardment, but they're terrible up close, so stay on top of them at all times."

The Tank Gunners began to open fire, forcing the trio to scatter in different directions to avoid the cannonballs. Izetta simply huffed, channeling her magic to float on her own as she aimed her rifle for the Tank Gunners, firing off rounds one after the other that destroyed each Tank Gunner in the rifle's path.

One of the Tank Gunners leaped towards Izetta, only for Maylin to blast it into dust with a Thunder spell. Haruka, meanwhile, went to work against the Lance Soldiers, even managing to steal one of their lances and dual wield to devastating effect, easily wiping out the remaining Lance Soldiers.

One of the Wight Knights spun its lanky arms to deflect Nick's overhead strike, but he quickly came back with a Round Break to stumble the Wight Knight before chopping it in half with a horizontal swing.

But more Heartless just kept spawning as the others fell, eventually surrounding the group.

"Oh, come on, how is _this_ fair?!" Maylin growled.

Izetta just grinned, again channeling her magic through the area's leylines and aiming her rifle for the sky. A moment passed and Izetta fired a shot into the air, and after a few more seconds, large icicles came raining down, destroying all the Heartless surrounding them.

"Try again, freaks," Izetta quipped.

"You seem to have picked up a lot of new friends, eh?"

Nick was the first one to spin around and notice that Marie was standing a few yards away, Stormfall clutched tightly in her right hand. A small platoon of Tank Gunners were in formation around her, and floating a few inches from Marie, constricted by chains of darkness, was a young woman about Izetta's age with blonde hair and a green dress.

"P-Princess!" Izetta shouted, instantly aiming her rifle straight at Marie.

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Marie challenged, raising Stormfall. "One false move... well, I think you know what'll happen."

"Marie, what the _hell_ are you doing?!" Nick shouted. "Let the princess go!"

"Is she really that important to you?" Marie proclaimed. "You'd prioritize someone you barely even know over _your own sister_?"

Marie gestured to one of the Tank Gunners, who rolled forward and prepared to fire.

"What's going on, Marie?" Nick growled. "Why are you siding with the Heartless?!"

"Siding with them? _Please_ ," Marie scoffed. "The Heartless _obey_ me, big brother. Now I don't have a single thing to fear."

"Don't be so daft, Marie! They'll swallow your heart if you get too careless around them!" Nick shot back.

Marie simply swung Stormfall a few times. "I don't think so. My heart's too strong for that."

"You honestly think you intimidate me?" Finé proclaimed.

"One more word, princess..." Marie growled.

Maylin decided she'd had enough, and tossed Spellbinder forward, the keyblade spinning through the air and curving around to easily cut through the dark chains holding Finé, allowing her to drop to the ground so she could run over to the group before Marie could react.

"Pointless," Marie quipped. "I've picked up a few other tricks, by the way. Here's one of them!"

Marie snapped her fingers, and a pool of darkness opened from the ground in front of Nick, spawning a very familiar shadow figure. Nick immediately recognized it as his shadow self that he'd fought from his dream all that time ago, complete with the bat-wing sword and everything.

"Well, I've gotta go," Marie quipped, opening a corridor of darkness and walking into it. "Have fun."

Marie was gone before Nick could protest, leaving him to face his shadow self.

"Okay, that's freaking me out," Nick quipped, raising the Kingdom Key and preparing for a fight.

Shadow Nick simply lashed out with a one-two cut, replicating almost exactly what it had done during the dream battle.

"All right, I'm starting to get annoyed," Nick growled, slicing upwards to knock his shadow self away before striking with an Ars Arcanum, which only caused Shadow Nick to go flying backwards before dashing right back into the fray with a burst of dark lightning.

Izetta quickly flew in and cast a spell that created a floral barrier, stopping the dark lightning cold.

"You _dared_ to harm my princess," Izetta growled. "I'm gonna _enjoy_ tearing you apart, shadow boy."

Shadow Nick didn't seem fazed, leaping into the air to slash at Izetta, but the White Witch simply fired off an explosive shot from her rifle, blowing the dark duplicate back.

Izetta began to unleash her fury, rapidly casting multiple spells to deal massive damage to Shadow Nick and leaving the trio quite amazed at what she could do.

Once Shadow Nick began to stumble under Izetta's assault, Nick rushed in to deliver the final blow.

Time seemed to run in slow motion, much like it had in his dream, as Nick performed a final overhead strike to cut through his shadow self. Shadow Nick's form wobbled and shimmered for a few seconds before exploding into wisps of darkness.

"And dark boy is done for!" Maylin exclaimed.

"If only that Marie girl would have stuck around," Izetta growled. "I would have stomped her into the ground..."

"Um, Marie is actually Nick's younger sister," Haruka quipped, fearing that Nick would get upset.

"That wasn't the Marie I know," Nick admitted, catching everyone's attention. "I don't know why she's so different now, but I have a feeling I know who the suspect is."

"Let me guess, the hooded chicklet?" Maylin stated.

"We need to find her before things get worse," Nick quipped. "But for now, let's get the princess back to her castle before the Heartless pop up again."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin shouted.

And so, following Finé's directions, the group made their way back to the capital building.

"Why is Marie so different now?" Nick wondered when they were about halfway back to Landsbruck, Eylstadt's capital city. "What got into her head that abusing the power of darkness was a good idea?"

Maylin gasped suddenly. "I bet it's that villain council! They probably sweet-talked her into helping them with their heinous scheme!"

"And I'm actually willing to bet that Mariko's part of that scheme, too," Haruka stated. "You know, how she keeps getting in our way and sending Heartless after us? I bet she's trying to keep us away until their plans are finished."

"But that just raises another question, though," Nick replied. " _What exactly_ is their plan? Are they the ones behind the Heartless invasions, or..."

Nick trailed off, not wanting to think about that possibility.

Sensing that Nick didn't want to push it any longer, Maylin glanced up to Finé, who was riding on Izetta's rifle. The two were taking the high road, flying through the sky while talking intermittently. Occasionally, Izetta would hug Finé tightly.

"I think those two like each other," Maylin quipped.

"Oh, don't start, Maylin," Haruka groaned.

"Come _on_ , don't tell me you can't see it!" Maylin proclaimed. "You _see_ how much those two are hugging each other, right?! And the blushes and the hand-holding? I _can't_ be the only one who sees it!"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle, remembering how Maylin had treated his light-hearted crush on Mira. _If only she knew how hard I'm crushing on Cornelia, Maylin would lose her damn_ _ **mind**_ _..._

"You're _sure_ you're okay?" Izetta asked again.

"Izetta, I promise you, I'm all right," Finé replied, hugging Izetta again. Honestly, she knew how Izetta must have felt about her disappearance.

Suddenly, something rocketed by them, almost causing Izetta to lose her balance.

"W-what was that?" Izetta gasped.

The strange object dashed by them again, flying at almost lightning speed, as if it was specifically attempting to knock Izetta and Finé out of the sky.

"Hey, show yourself so I can blast you!" Izetta exclaimed.

The culprit made one more super-speed dash, this one hitting its mark and shaking the rifle so much that it made Finé fall off. But before Izetta could reach out to catch her, currents of air wrapped themselves around Finé's body, forming a shield of wind that stopped her descent and slowly carried her back to Izetta.

Izetta looked down and saw that Maylin had saved Finé by casting an Aerora spell on her. Nick and Haruka were currently searching the skies for the culprit.

A telltale 'whoosh' caught Nick's attention, and he turned to its source, casting a Stop spell and freezing the assailant in time, which turned out to be an extremely large and rotund Heartless resembling a bloated angler fish with zigzagging bolt patterns.

"Now, let's get it before it unfreezes!" Nick exclaimed, striking out at the Jet Balloon a few times. Maylin quickly cast Blizzara while Haruka lashed out with a Round Break.

The damage caught up to the Jet Balloon once the Stop spell wore off, but it simply shrugged it off and flew away again, zipping like lightning through the midday skies and flinging smaller Heartless at everyone it passed. Nick and Haruka simply cut through the Missile Divers as they were fired, while Maylin cast Thundara to knock the Jet Balloon off balance, giving Izetta the opportunity (after telling Finé to hold on, of course) to fire off an explosive shot from her rifle that finally hit its mark and shredded the Jet Balloon into pieces.

"Jeez, did that guy think he was Sonic or something?" Maylin quipped once the area was calm again.

"Let's keep moving. We're almost there," Finé replied.

Sure enough, after a mere few more minutes of travel, the group reached the castle of Landsbruck, Eylstadt's capital city.

"Here's hoping we can just relax for a while," Izetta quipped. "I am _bushed_ after all that."

"You don't need to worry yourself sick, Izetta," Finé replied. "I wasn't going to let that upstart get the better of me."

"Just promise me you'll be okay, princess," Izetta sighed.

Finé just smiled. That was so like her.

"Of course," Finé stated, hugging Izetta again. "I don't have anything to fear as long as you're with me."

Before Izetta could respond, the castle doors began to glow with a rather unnatural light, putting Izetta on edge and ready to raise her rifle.

The glow surrounding the doors eventually concentrated into a smaller shape, forming a keyhole at the center of the glow.

"Hey, that was quick," Maylin quipped. "I didn't think we'd find the keyhole so quickly..."

"Here's hoping it means something," Haruka replied.

Nick raised the Kingdom Key and fired a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it with a loud click and dissolving the glow, leaving the castle doors as they were.

Once the keyhole had vanished, a Navi-G Piece gummi block fell from where the keyhole had just been, coming to a stop by Maylin's feet.

"Hey, it's another gummi block!" Maylin gasped. "I bet this is the other half to that Navi-G piece we got from Traverse Town!"

"Then that means we should head back to Traverse Town and ask Kiva if she can install it for us," Haruka stated.

"I guess that means you have to leave now?" Finé asked.

"Sadly, yes," Maylin replied. "This looks like a really nice place, after all."

"Well, you can come and visit any time you're in the neighborhood," Izetta stated. "It's the least we can do for you guys after you helped us. Oh, hold on a second."

Izetta concentrated her powers, manipulating her magic to forge a trinket for the group. "Here you go. Something to show our appreciation."

Nick reached out to receive the trinket so he could attach it to his keyblade and watch it transform. It was a relatively simple-looking keyblade, with regular tank cannons as its handlebars, an exact replica of Izetta's rifle as the blade, three blue squiggly lines as the teeth representing the leylines Izetta used for her powers, and the Eylstadt symbol as the keychain. The words _Magic Rifle_ ran through Nick's head.

"We hope to see you again soon," Finé proclaimed.

"You two lovebirds play nice, now," Maylin giggled, causing both Finé and Izetta to blush heavily and start stammering.

Before Nick could formulate a response to that, he felt a strange flare of darkness forming behind him. Turning on his heel and raising the Kingdom Key, he spotted who else but Mariko Kusumi standing there, seemingly admiring the castle.

"Such a lovely castle," Mariko admitted, though rather tauntingly at that. "Almost like the one back home."

"All right, you, I'm _really_ not in the mood for your crap," Nick growled. "Do you know where my sister went?"

"Oh, the girl?" Mariko replied. "Of course I do. I've been keeping watch over her to make sure our plans come to fruition, after all."

"So you _have_ been manipulating her!" Maylin shouted. "I never thought you'd stoop so low as to manipulate an innocent girl for your vile scheme!"

"Well, then answer me, you little bitch! _Where did she go?!_ " Nick exclaimed, already out of patience.

"To the ruins of the Blue Sky Kingdom," Mariko answered. "But you won't be going there. Not in one piece, anyway."

It took a few seconds for the name to register, but Maylin was the first to gasp in shock at the revelation. "W-wait, the Blue Sky Kingdom?! I thought that world had been destroyed by the Heartless!"

"Only their Earth had been taken," Mariko answered. "The Blue Sky Kingdom exists on a separate dimensional plane from their Earth."

"Then that must be where this villains' council is operating, _right?!_ " Nick shouted.

"It's such a shame that all of this insight comes far too late for you to do anything to stop our plans," Mariko quipped, summoning Darkgnaw to her hands. "We have all the crystals and all of the vessels. She will grace this universe with her presence soon enough."

"Who's _she_?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I see no reason to tell you," Mariko answered. "After all, why trouble you in your final moments?"

Mariko charged forward, only to be blasted back by a shot from Izetta's rifle.

"Touch my princess and the next shot's going for your _head_ ," Izetta growled.

Nick took advantage of the distraction to wail on Mariko with an Ars Arcanum, with Maylin following up with a powerful Thundaga spell, dropping wicked bolts of lightning onto Mariko's prone form from the sky.

"I won't be stopped by the likes of you," Mariko proclaimed, charging dark energy into her keyblade and swinging it, sending a wave of darkness thundering across the ground.

Izetta and Finé quickly took to the air to avoid the dark wave, while Nick cast Reflect to block the attack.

Mariko quickly rushed back into the fray, lashing out with a vertical slice followed by a downward spike. Nick parried both attacks before knocking Mariko backwards with a Ripple Drive.

Maylin leaped over and, with a flash of inspiration, double-cast Magnet, creating two magnetic energy fields on either side of Mariko, keeping her trapped there, pulled between the two magnets.

"Now, let's see how you like a full barrage of magic!" Maylin proclaimed, wrenching a few spell coins from her pocket before striking them all in rapid succession.

A Firaga ball, five large Blizzaga ice crystals, at least eight wicked Thundaga bolts, Maylin was going all out with her magic, finally finishing the barrage with a Gravity spell that dropped Mariko to her knees.

"Okay, guys, let's give this freak-o the beating of her life!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick reached into his pocket and procured the Psyemerald, ready to end this battle. "You two up for letting Tatsu finish this freak?" Nick asked.

"OH, YEAH!" Maylin shouted.

Nick began to focus his power into the Psyemerald as Maylin and Haruka disappeared. Mariko quickly recovered herself and rushed in to attack, only for Izetta to cast a barrier in front of Nick.

"You're not getting off the hook _that_ easily," Izetta proclaimed.

 **("THE HERO! ~Ikareru Kobushi ni Hi wo Tsukero~" by JAM Project plays)**

Nick tossed the Psyemerald into the air, where it floated on its own, then brought the Kingdom Key behind him, brilliant light surrounding the tip of its blade. After charging up for a bit, Nick thrust the Kingdom Key to the sky and a burst of energy shot from the blade, swirling through the air like a tornado before striking the Psyemerald.

The summon gem flashed with blinding emerald light before creating a powerful psychic vortex in the sky above it. Tatsumaki descended from the vortex, her hands already channeling her psychic powers.

"You honestly think you're going to intimidate me?" Mariko proclaimed.

"Then you don't know what she can do," Nick shot back. "Tatsu, if you will?"

Tatsumaki merely nodded, ensnaring Mariko in her psychic grip so Nick could rush in and attack, landing a few good hits before finishing with an overhead chop.

"Heartless, hear me! Take this fool down!" Mariko exclaimed, and a few Tank Gunners spawned around Nick.

Tatsumaki just smirked, extending her psychic grip to smash two of the Tank Gunners into each other, destroying them instantly, before forcing the remaining ones to fire on Mariko herself.

Before the hooded girl could recover, Tatsumaki spread her arms out, trapping Mariko and the remaining Tank Gunners in a sphere of psychic power. Nick dashed in to attack from every angle he could, actually being able to teleport around to attack due to Tatsumaki lending him her power in the process.

Once the sphere vanished, Tatsumaki grabbed Mariko in her telekinetic grip one more time and slammed Mariko into the ground, making her bounce a couple feet back up so Nick could leap in and deliver the finishing blow. Mariko flopped back to the ground, her hood falling down again.

Tatsumaki smiled, knowing her job was done, and vanished in a flash of light, returning to the Psyemerald.

As expected, Mariko attempted to escape via a dark corridor, but Nick was faster on the draw, casting a Magnet spell right over Mariko to prevent her from escaping.

"Now, _who are you_?!" Nick shouted, grabbing Mariko by her collar and yanking her closer, only to gasp in shock when he finally got a good look at Mariko's face. She looked almost exactly like Marie, only with silver eyes instead of green and slightly longer hair.

"Okay, you wanna explain yourself?!" Nick shouted. "Why do you look so much like my sister?! _What did you do to her?!_ "

Mariko simply scoffed. "Your intimidation tactics mean nothing to me. If you want to know, go find your sister and ask her yourself."

Mariko slashed at Nick with Darkgnaw, a strike that he just barely evaded, but it allowed Mariko to retreat into the dark corridor she'd opened.

"Does somebody want to fill me in?" Maylin proclaimed. "Why does that hooded chick look like your sister, Nick?"

"That's what I want to know," Nick replied. "We need to get back to Traverse Town right stat now so we can get that navigation gummi installed. I'm willing to bet it'll open a path to the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"All right! We're reaching the climax of our adventure! Let's head out and bust some heads!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Will you two be okay by yourselves?" Haruka asked Izetta.

"Oh, don't worry," Izetta proclaimed, gently squeezing Finé's hand and making the princess blush. "If the Germanian army _or_ those monsters show up again, I'll show them what for!"

 _Yeah, those two definitely have it bad for each other,_ Maylin thought as the trio prepared to return to the Gummi Ship. _Too bad we can't stay, or I'd help 'em out. Eh, I'll let them figure it out on their own._

* * *

Marie panted heavily upon returning to the Castle Chapel, balancing herself on Stormfall. That had been quite a trip.

"Do not be so reckless with the darkness, my dear," Red proclaimed. "You know you run the risk of losing your heart if you do not use a vessel."

"I... had to get here as fast as I could," Marie gasped. "We... have to begin the ritual soon... right?"

"Precisely," Cinder replied. "Thanks to Mariko, we know those wretched keyblade wielders will be arriving here soon, so we have to move up our timetable."

Before Marie could make any more inquiries, a gigantic explosion shook the very foundations of the chapel.

"W-what the hell was that?" Marie gasped.

"A castaway," Red answered. "Though her world perished, her heart did not. When their Earth was swallowed by the darkness, she found her way here through sheer force of will. But you needn't fear her, my dear. She is no match for your power."

" _My_ power?" Marie wondered. "I don't think I'm _that_ strong, considering..."

"Yes, my dear, you are," Red replied. "You hold much untapped power that lies within you. Why do you think we chose _you_ to help us out? Now, child, it's time you awakened that power and realized your true potential."

Red waved his hands in a bizarre pattern, and Marie was suddenly engulfed in an evil green light. But... she wasn't afraid. In fact, she felt a whole lot stronger.

 _Soon, it'll be time,_ Marie thought as she let her body and soul embrace her new strength. _And maybe then I'll get some answers._

* * *

"Seriously, this is infuriating!" Irma exclaimed, pacing back and forth across the Congregation Hall.

"Irma, seriously, you're going to wear out the floor if you don't stop walking," Cornelia proclaimed. "I understand you're upset, but there's really not much else we can do. We wouldn't want those things getting in."

"I can take 'em! Just let me at them!" Irma shouted, throwing out a few karate moves while making the appropriate noises.

"I know how anxious you must be, Guardians," the Oracle proclaimed. "But the Heartless are still a danger we cannot allow into Candracar."

"If only we could call for backup or something," Will quipped, wondering where Orube was. She had been here in Candracar when the Heartless had initially invaded, after all.

"And I can't contact Nick right now," Taranee admitted. "I think he's too far away from Traverse Town at the moment."

"Um, your majesty?" Hay Lin asked. "You foresaw this, right? That's why you brought us here when the Heartless attacked?"

"Indeed," the Oracle admitted. "This is not the first time the Heartless have struck the worlds."

Cornelia tapped her foot on the ground a few times, just missing the dark corridor opening just behind her.

A strange footfall, and Cornelia spun around to face it, only for a demonic-looking keyblade to flash out at her.

* * *

"Oh, you found the other half, did you?" Kiva quipped when Nick showed her the other Navi-G Piece.

"Wasn't easy, but we found them," Nick replied. "And I have a feeling where this one will lead us."

"Here's hoping," Kiva stated. "I'll go and install it for you."

With that, Kiva teleported to the Gummi Ship to begin the installation.

Maylin quickly noticed Nick's expression changing. "Hey, remember, Nick, this operation runs on happy faces. You don't need to be so sad, buddy, we're going straight to the heart of this evil club meeting so we can get your sister back!"

"But... why do I have this feeling that it may be the last time I ever see her?" Nick replied. "What's to say these villains won't just say 'fee fi fo forget it' and get rid of her when their scheme's over?"

"We're not going to let that happen," Haruka proclaimed.

"Exactly!" Maylin exclaimed, hugging Nick tightly. "We're not gonna leave our best bud in the lurch!"

Nick couldn't help but smile. He really did have wonderful friends.

 _Momma, tell us the story again!_

Nick perked up, unknown to Maylin and Haruka. "What the heck?"

 _Yeah, mom, can you? Marie always loves that story._

 _Hehehe, very well. Listen carefully, okay?_

Suddenly, Nick realized what these voices were. They were a memory, of a story that his mother had often told to him and Marie when they were younger.

 _Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of the light. Everyone loved the light. Then, people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And thus, darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness began to spread, swallowing up the light and many people's hearts along with it. It consumed everything, and the world disappeared. But, small fragments of light survived... in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, the children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But, the true light sleeps, deep within the depths of darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered and divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, Nick, Marie, listen carefully. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away._

"Marie?" Nick whispered. "Were you calling me?"

A bright flash of light revealed that Kiva had returned from the Gummi Ship. "All right, your new navigation gummi's installed and ready for action," Kiva proclaimed. "Word of warning, though. I checked your scanners, and that place is overflowing with Heartless. I would try to stop you if I didn't know you'd be going there regardless, so all I can say is to be careful. That place is a deathtrap."

"We understand, Kiva," Nick replied. "But we've gotta go there. I'm not leaving my sister to the mercy of these vile villains."

"Spoken like a true hero," Kiva laughed, handing Nick an Ability Crystal. "Here, take this with you, too. I think you'll need it."

About ten minutes later, after hitting up the local stores and Synthesis Shop to make sure they were all stocked up and ready to embark, the trio stood in front of the doors that would take them to the Gummi Ship.

"Well, you guys ready?" Haruka proclaimed.

"As I'll ever be," Maylin stated, spinning Spellbinder in her hands.

"Hey, guys, wait up!"

The trio turned around to see the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures racing to catch up with them.

"Why the serious faces?" Cure Princess wondered. "Did you finally find the bad guys?"

"As a matter of fact, we did," Haruka stated. "We're on our way to the world they're using right now, actually."

"Must be one strange world for a council of villains to be using," Cure Fortune noted.

Nick sighed heavily, catching the Pretty Cures' attention.

"That's the thing. They're operating from the Blue Sky Kingdom."

A chorus of gasps followed.

"B-but we thought the kingdom had been swallowed by the darkness!" Cure Princess shouted.

"Just your Earth was taken, apparently," Maylin replied. "We just got our new Navi-Gummi installed so we can go there, so... well, that's where we're going."

"We're coming with you," Cure Honey proclaimed. "No way we're going to pass up a chance to get our world back from those monsters."

"Well, then all aboard who's going aboard!" Maylin shouted, opening the double doors to allow passage to the Gummi Ship.

"Wow, this is quite the space-age vessel you guys have," Cure Lovely noted once everyone was in their proper seats.

"It's pretty coo, huh?" Maylin giggled.

"All right, everyone hold on tight, because I have a feeling we're gonna be in for a rough ride!" Haruka exclaimed. "Onwards, to the Blue Sky Kingdom!"

The Gummi Ship roared to life, flying full speed from Traverse Town.

The Happiness Charge Pretty Cures continued to chat about how to free their world from the darkness while Nick simply gazed out the window towards the slowly-darkening void.

 _Hold on, Marie, we're coming,_ Nick thought.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Magic Rifle  
** Strength: 13  
Magic: 11  
Ability: Fire Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the strength and promise of the world's last witch. A powerful weapon that is difficult to deflect, capable of dealing a string of critical blows. Increases the damage done by fire-based attacks by 20%._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: All right, we're off to the Blue Sky Kingdom!

Haruka: We're heading to the heart of this villains' council to hopefully derail their heinous plans once and for good!

Nick: Obviously, since this is such an exciting episode, we're not gonna spoil _any_ of it for you.

Maylin: Just tune in and see for yourselves!

Haruka: I promise you will _all_ be on the edge of your seats!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Into the Depths of Darkness"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	14. Into the Depths of Darkness

"Wow, Kiva wasn't kidding," Maylin quipped as the Gummi Ship dove to the right to avoid a kamikaze Heartless ship. "This place is _crawling_ with the little buggers!"

"So, it's not usually this bad out here?" Cure Lovely wondered.

"This is the most dangerous area we've ever flown through," Haruka admitted, switching the Gummi Ship to Falcon Mode so they could break through a wall of ships. "Must make sense if this is where those bums are operating from."

"Come on, freak boys, _get out of the way_!" Cure Princess shouted as a large Heartless cruiser approached.

"Hey, isn't that the same one we fought on the way to the Canopy Kingdom?" Haruka wondered.

"Hey, yeah! It's still got all those holes we shot in it!" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's shoot it down for good this time!"

Easier said than done, though, as the cruiser began to fire gigantic laser beams that the Gummi Ship had to dive to avoid.

"Okay, now I'm getting annoyed," Maylin proclaimed. "Let's show that thing we mean business!"

"Roger that," Haruka replied, slamming the Big Red Button™ and transforming the Gummi Ship into a new configuration, the Falcon Peak.

"Whoa," Nick gasped.

"LET 'EM HAVE IT!" Maylin shouted, and the Gummi Ship fired off a gigantic blast of energy that resembled a miniature sun. The blast screamed through the void and struck the cruiser, blowing a gaping wound in its hull and sending it crashing to the emptiness.

"There it is!" Haruka exclaimed, pointing to the grand castle just ahead of them. "Blue Sky Kingdom, dead ahead!"

"Are you guys sure you're ready?" Nick stated.

"We've come this far, we're not backing down now," Cure Fortune proclaimed.

"Anything to restore our world to its former glory," Cure Honey stated.

"Okay, then, let's end this. Prepare for landing!" Haruka proclaimed.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** At last, the trio has reached the Blue Sky Kingdom, the source of the darkness that threatens to rend the multiverse asunder. Many great battles will be fought here, for the sake of this world and many others whose fate has already been closed. Who will still be standing when the heat of battle fades? Who will come out with their lives intact? And can Marie possibly be saved before it is too late?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World** : The Blue Sky Kingdom is from _Happiness Charge Pretty Cure_ , said Cures that have been showing up periodically in the story. And if I say any more about this chapter, I'll just be spoiling it, so let's get right into it. This is the one I've been waiting to write since I started this story. LET'S GO!

* * *

Episode 14: Into the Depths of Darkness

"Whoa, this place looks like it's seen better days," Maylin quipped upon disembarking from the Gummi Ship. The Blue Sky Kingdom was in complete disarray, a shell of its former glory.

"And we'd just gotten things back to normal," Cure Princess sighed.

"The darkness that took our world must have spread out from the kingdom first," Cure Fortune proclaimed. "If these villains needed the kingdom and castle for their plans, it makes sense that they'd have kept the darkness from destroying this world."

"Still didn't have to wreck it so bad, though!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"I guess the bad guys are somewhere in the castle?" Haruka wondered.

"Most likely," Nick realized.

"We're going to split off from here," Cure Honey stated. "We need to search for survivors, like Hime's parents. You three go into the castle and stop whoever's behind everything."

"Will do," Maylin stated heroically as the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures dashed into the heart of the chaos that had gripped the kingdom.

Nick said nothing, merely summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands.

Before the trio could discuss a plan of action, a loud cry of pain alerted them to two figures just ahead, right by the entry gates to the castle.

"Come on, let's move, move, MOVE!" Maylin shouted, and the trio rushed off to check things out.

Cure Tender dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. That last attack had hurt.

"No vessel, no help from the Heartless," Marie quipped, clutching Stormfall tightly, which was now enshrouded in an eerie dark glow. "So, tell me, Tender, how'd you get back here?"

"I simply believed. Nothing more, nothing less," Cure Tender replied, shooting an angry glare at Marie. "You took my sister away from me when you swallowed our worlds in darkness. I promised I would find her no matter what. And I know my sister's here somewhere."

"Come and take her if you can!" Marie proclaimed, swinging Stormfall and striking Cure Tender with a wave of darkness that imprisoned her in a strange coffin with red lines running across it.

"That was simply too easy," Marie giggled.

Footsteps caught Marie's attention, and she looked up to see Nick, Maylin, and Haruka running towards her.

"Marie, what did you do to her?!" Nick shouted.

"Just in time, big brother," Marie laughed. "We've always been worlds apart, haven't we? I may have been a part of your family, but I never belonged, did I? Just someone who doesn't even have a true family anymore."

Marie grinned evilly, raising Stormfall. "But it all ends here. Only one of us can push forward to open the secret door to the heart of all worlds. And I don't think it's going to be you."

Nick raised the Kingdom Key as Marie charged, but one quick swing from the darkness-fueled Stormfall knocked it out of Nick's hands and into the air. Knowing what she had to do, Marie made one more slash, and the Kingdom Key fractured and shattered into particles of light that eventually dissipated into nothing.

"W-what... what did you DO?!" Nick shouted.

"Red was right. You don't have what it takes," Marie proclaimed.

"But... I'm the one who fought my way here with the keyblade..."

"Sorry," Marie cackled. "But you were just the delivery boy. Your part's over now."

Marie raised Stormfall to strike the final blow, but was interrupted by an extremely angry Maylin rushing in and attempting to stab Marie straight through the heart.

"You little BITCH!" Maylin screamed. "I don't care anymore if you're Nick's sister or not, you're going to pay _dearly_ for that!"

"You first," Marie laughed, stabbing out and destroying Spellbinder as easily as she had destroyed the Kingdom Key. Before Maylin could even get her bearings, Marie hit Maylin with a wave of darkness and imprisoned her in a coffin as well.

"You _honestly_ think I'm going to take this lying down?!" Haruka growled, slamming Divine Rose into the ground and creating an upheaval of rock and granite under Marie, who easily leaped to avoid the attack.

Marie landed and used her free hand to punch Haruka in the stomach, dazing her enough to drop Divine Rose, which Marie then slashed through and destroyed with one strike.

"I told you it was useless," Marie proclaimed, using one more dark wave to imprison Haruka as well. "You never listen, do you?"

Marie turned back to the grand castle in the distance. "Well, this is where I take my leave. I hope you've learned how stupid you were to mess with your betters."

Exerting some telekinetic control over the three coffins so they would float alongside her, Marie made her way to the castle. It was almost time, after all.

Nick didn't move, still in complete and utter shock at just how easily he had been defeated. In what had seemed like barely a minute, he had lost both his keyblade and his friends to his own sister.

 _I knew this was going to happen,_ Nick thought. _That I'd lose the last family I had left here. But I never thought it'd end like this... why didn't she just finish me off, too?! Does she want me to wallow in my despair and sorrow until I fall to darkness, too?!_

Nick looked mournfully at his hand. "I guess this is karma biting me in the ass for thinking I was strong. Maybe everything I did... maybe it was all for nothing. Without the keyblade... I'm useless now..."

Nick's eyes began to fill with tears, so much so that he didn't even notice his three summon gems falling from his pockets and rolling to right in front of him. A bright, multi-colored flash erupted from the three gems, forcing Nick to shield his eyes until he could see again.

"Okay, what's with this nonsense about giving up?!"

Nick looked up, and subsequently couldn't believe what he was seeing. All three of his summons, Tatsumaki, Nanoha, and Neptune, were floating in front of him.

"A-A-Am I seeing this right?" Nick gasped.

"Why are you talking about giving up?" Tatsumaki proclaimed. "You've come this far, haven't you? I may not be the most sociable person in the Hero Association, I'll admit, but I _know_ you're stronger than this."

"Didn't you see what just happened?!" Nick shouted. "Marie destroyed my keyblade! That's the only reason I made it this far!"

"You may have lost your keyblade, but your heart is beating stronger than ever," Nanoha responded. "Don't think that you don't have any strength, Nick. You're stronger than you think you are, even without a keyblade."

"But... what do I do?" Nick wondered. "Without my keyblade, I can't fight the Heartless here..."

"That's what we're here for!" Neptune exclaimed. "We couldn't call ourselves your friends if we just left you to wallow in your own sorrow!"

"Exactly," Tatsumaki responded, floating closer and letting her hand rest on Nick's shoulder. "If you can't fight, we'll fight for you. It's what friends do, right?"

"It's not a sign of weakness to rely on others when you're unable to defend yourself, Nick," Nanoha proclaimed.

"And we're personally gonna make that nutball pay for what she did to you and your friends!" Neptune exclaimed, leaping over to hug Nick tightly. "I swear on my honor as a protagonist!"

Despite his sadness, Nick couldn't help but smile. Even his summons, who were really only there in spirit, were being wonderful friends. Feeling his resolve returning to him, Nick picked himself up and gazed towards the castle in the distance.

"Well, then let's get going," Nick proclaimed. "I have friends who are very dear to me up there. And it's my duty to save them."

"Adventure time!" Neptune exclaimed. "Let's go beat the bad guys!"

And so, the quartet crossed the long and dilapidated bridge to reach the Blue Sky Castle, marveling at how majestic it looked even in the kingdom's ruined state.

No sooner had the group crossed to the main entryway than a group of Heartless spawned around them. These ones looked very strange, being merely large spheres with yellow eyes and small tendrils for hands.

"Figures," Nick groaned.

"Come on, ball boys! I'm gonna Nep-Nep you!" Neptune proclaimed, drawing her sword and attacking the Darkballs. One went down quickly, but another one shrouded itself in darkness and moved around to behind Neptune, attempting to get a sneak attack in, but Tatsumaki was too smart for that, snaring the Darkball in her psychic grip and slamming it into the floor.

A third Darkball began charging for Nick, snapping its jaws every second. Nanoha cast a barrier in front of Nick to push the Darkball away before unleashing an energy blade to cut the Darkball in half.

Once the Darkballs had been beaten, Nick looked up at the large doors that marked the entrance to the castle, pulling on their handle with all of his strength. The doors didn't budge even a tiny bit.

"Why am I not surprised?" Nick groaned.

"There should be a device somewhere that can open the gates," Nanoha stated, gazing around for anything that could help them.

"Hey, guys, look at this!" Neptune exclaimed, pointing to a strange crystal switch at the west end of the Castle Gates. "It looks like it's a teleport crystal. Maybe we can use it to move to another level."

"Let's try it," Nick replied. "Really nothing to lose at this point."

Nick placed his hand on the crystal, and after a strange sensation passed through him, he found himself in the catacombs just below the castle.

"Whoa," Nick quipped.

"Hey, there's another switch," Neptune noted, pointing at another crystal, only this one was blue instead of orange.

Nick walked up and activated the switch, and watched as a platform slid out of the wall and a gate up on the second floor opened up. Nick groaned, knowing he couldn't jump that high on his own, only to be surprised when a current of wind formed under him and carried him to the second floor. He looked back and saw that Nanoha was the one who had allowed him to float to the second floor.

After crossing through the opened gate, Nick was stopped by another gate, this one looking a lot sturdier than the others.

"Allow me," Tatsumaki stated, spreading her hands before clapping them together. The steel bars of the gate bended inwards with a soul-crunching squeal before caving in completely, crumpling the gate as easily as ripping a sheet of paper. Tatsumaki flicked her right hand casually, sending the gate's remains flying to another side of the room.

Inside this room was a large mural with text written in some ancient language Nick couldn't really decipher. It depicted a strange, heart-shaped artifact surrounded by three very familiar-looking figures.

"What do you think it says?" Nick wondered.

"Let me take a look," Tatsumaki replied, floating over to the mural and placing her hand on the text, her psychic powers going to work.

And as Tatsumaki traced each word, she read its translation out loud. "Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny, the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Three vessels, one keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens."

"Hey, Nick, didn't your sister mention something about a 'heart of all worlds'?" Neptune wondered.

"That must be what they're after, then," Nick realized. "They're trying to open this door of darkness and claim the power of Kingdom Hearts for themselves. But that just raises another question, though; what exactly does my sister have to do with any of this?"

"We probably won't know until we get there," Nanoha replied.

"Hey, I see another switch," Neptune quipped. "Let's see what this one does."

Nick walked over and activated the crystal switch, and a loud CLICK resounded from very far off.

"That must have been the castle gates," Nick quipped. "Let's get back up there and check it out."

And so the group made their way back to the castle gates, noticing that the doors were now slightly ajar.

"All in who's going in!" Neptune proclaimed.

Nick reached for the door handles and pulled, glad to see that they were opening this time. Steeling his nerves, Nick made for the Entrance Hall, his summoned friends following right behind him.

* * *

"No offense, Red, but I'm sick of waiting," Risky groaned. "Why can't we just get this ritual of ours underway now?! We have everything we need, right? Why are we wasting time?!"

Red gazed at the viewing pool, which showed Nick and his summons walking towards the Entrance Hall.

"We must wait for the final, most crucial element to return," Red proclaimed. "When the girl awakens, she will be ready."

"Girl? What do you mean by...?"

A quick glance at Cinder, who was smiling wickedly, and suddenly all the pieces fell into place. Risky's grin widened and she began to laugh, realizing the prospect.

* * *

To Nick's honest surprise, the Entrance Hall was devoid of anyone but him and his summons.

"This is where I'd get suspicious," Nick quipped.

"You're right to be cautious," Nanoha stated.

Nick took a few steps forward, attempting to discover any hidden enemies that were waiting to ambush him.

"Do any of you sense anything?" Nick wondered.

Tatsumaki began psychically sweeping the Entrance Hall, searching for life signs.

"Quit while you can."

Nick tensed up, turning back around to see that Marie had just appeared, holding Stormfall in her right hand. The coffins that held Maylin and Haruka were floating just above her.

"Not on your life, Marie," Nick immediately countered.

"The darkness will destroy you, idiot," Marie quipped, her outfit becoming darker and more demonic in a flash of darkness.

"Yeah, well, even if the darkness destroys my body, it can't touch my heart," Nick responded, clenching his fist tightly. "As long as my heart beats, it'll stay with my friends, the people I care about."

"Oh, really? And people think _I'm_ stubborn," Marie quipped, shaking her head before drawing her free hand back, dark energy gathering in her palm.

"Well, we'll just _see_ about that, _won't we?!_ "

Marie thrust her palm forward, unleashing a great burst of darkness straight for Nick, who could only stand there like a deer trapped in the headlights of a hunter.

Tatsumaki was the first to move towards Nick to shield him before she heard another voice cry out.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"

A trio of ice crystals shot out and struck the burst of darkness, dissipating it effortlessly and causing Marie to spin around and stare in shock. Maylin had broken free of her coffin prison and was clutching one of her spell coins tightly.

"What did I tell you, freak show?" Maylin growled. "You're not touching my best friend while I still breathe."

"H-How did you use your magic?!" Marie shouted. "I destroyed that damn keyblade of yours!"

" _You_ must be the dumbass, then," Maylin quipped. "I've been using magic for a _long_ time before I even knew what the keyblade was! Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Maylin turned around and cast a Firaga spell, the large ball of flames screaming through the air to strike Haruka's prison and shatter it, allowing Haruka to drop to her knees.

"Oof... that was a trip," Haruka gasped. "Thanks for busting me out, Maylin."

"Any time, partner!" Maylin giggled. "Now let's get back to our friend. He's gonna need us, after all."

"You'd betray your Oracle?" Marie growled as Maylin and Haruka rushed over to where Nick was standing. "He told you to follow the keyblade wielder, after all."

"Fat chance!" Maylin shot back. "But you must _really_ be out of your mind if you'd think I'd betray Nick just like that!"

Maylin impulsively hugged Nick tightly. "He's my best bud, after all! We've been through so much together, and there's no way this train is _ever_ stopping!"

"All for one and one for all, right?" Haruka stated. "People have always called me a loyal friend, and I'm sure as hell not gonna stop believing in my friends when they need me."

"Okay, so that's all well and good, but how are you gonna fight me without a weapon?" Marie taunted, waving Stormfall as if to mock them.

"I've got a better weapon," Nick proclaimed. "My heart."

"Really? Your _heart_? What good is that weak little thing?" Marie cackled.

Nick looked back at his summons, then to Maylin and Haruka, then his mind flashed through the memories of all the people he'd met on his journey. "Even if my heart's weak, it's not alone. It's grown with every new experience I've had, and it finds a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And as long as we think of each other... as long as we don't forget... our hearts will always be one."

Nick looked up at Marie, his eyes filled with determination. "And _that's_ the lesson here. My friends are my power!"

To Nick's shock, a new keyblade flashed to life in his hands. The shaft of the weapon displayed two hearts, its handle bore two angel wings, and the teeth were fashioned in the shape of the Japanese kanji for "light". The word _Oathkeeper_ ran through Nick's mind.

By Maylin and Haruka's gasps of surprise, they had also gained new keyblades.

Maylin's new keyblade had a guard modeled after an instrument from the violin family with a bronze color scheme, while the shaft was a heavily stylized line of music, colored in shades of blue with golden quarter notes. The teeth were composed of a treble clef with a color scheme ranging from red to golden and topped with a pointed wizard's hat, and the keychain resembled a guitar plectrum. The word _Counterpoint_ came to Maylin's mind.

Haruka's new keyblade was still rose-themed, like Divine Rose had been, only the guard was comprised of two thorny stems, the shaft was a large blade resembling a castle wall, and the teeth of the blade were three sharp claws, with a fully-bloomed rose as the keychain token. The words _Rumbling Rose_ came to Haruka's mind.

"Now, do you still wanna take back all the stupid crap you've spouted, or are we gonna be forced to rough ya up a bit?" Maylin proclaimed.

Marie took a few steps back, before shaking her head to get her composure back.

"Forget it!" Marie shouted, brandishing Stormfall. "You're not getting into my head anymore!"

With that, Nick and Marie charged for each other, clashing multiple times and attempting to out-do the other.

"Why won't you just stay down?!" Marie shouted, launching another burst of darkness for Nick, only for him to cast Reflect and have it harmlessly bounce off the barrier.

"I'm stubborn," Nick taunted. "My friends have always liked that about me."

Nick shattered the barrier, the absorbed damage being thrown back and knocking Marie to the ground.

"Don't think I'm giving up!" Marie exclaimed.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, spinning Counterpoint before casting a Thunder spell to knock Marie into the nearby water fountain. Marie quickly jumped back to her feet and rushed to face Maylin, only for Haruka to intercept her with an overhead strike from Rumbling Rose.

"Did you honestly forget I was here, too?" Haruka laughed before planting her knee into Marie's chest, dazing her so Haruka could swing Rumbling Rose and send the dark warrior sprawling.

Nick took the opportunity to charge, the Oathkeeper shining with a bright light. Marie swiftly recovered and lashed out with Stormfall in an attempt to parry the strike, but was shocked to see Oathkeeper's blade cut through Stormfall as easily as butter, the dark blade fracturing before exploding into pieces, sending little wisps of darkness all over the Entrance Hall.

"N-no... not yet..." Marie gasped, her clothes returning to normal. "I won't... I WON'T..."

Marie picked herself up and fled the Entrance Hall through a dark corridor.

"So, your heart won this battle," Tatsumaki proclaimed. "As I expected."

"See, Nick? Your heart is the mightiest weapon a person can wield," Nanoha continued.

"And the main character returns to prominence!" Neptune exclaimed. "I knew you could do it!"

"And I guess that means our work is done for now," Tatsumaki proclaimed.

"I promise, we're still gonna call if we need your help," Nick replied.

"See that you do! Dismissed!" Neptune giggled, and with that, all three summons returned to their gems, which fell into Nick's free hand.

Maylin and Haruka walked up and smiled at Nick.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Maylin proclaimed. "Let's go find her before it's too late!"

"You read my mind," Nick stated. Brandishing their new keyblades, the trio ran up the stairs on either end of the fountain.

* * *

Marie stumbled through the hallway that led to the Castle Chapel, out of breath and in disbelief. How could that have gone so wrong?

"Why? It was mine! I _had him!_ " Marie gasped.

"Know this."

Marie looked up to see the familiar hooded form of Mariko Kusumi standing in front of her.

"The heart that is strong and true shall win the keyblade," Mariko proclaimed.

"What did you say? Are you implying my heart's weaker than his?!" Marie exclaimed, attempting to summon Stormfall before remembering that it had just been destroyed.

Though her face couldn't be seen with the hood up, Mariko grinned.

"For that instant, it was," Mariko replied. "However, that is not how the story goes. You can still become stronger. After all, you showed no fear in stepping through the darkness. It held no fright for you. Plunge deeper into that darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger."

"W-what do you want me to do?" Marie asked, willing to try anything at this point.

"Simply join your power with mine," Mariko proclaimed, her body glowing with an evil green light. "And you will open yourself to the darkness. Your heart, your very being, will become darkness itself."

Marie and Mariko reached out to join hands, both of their bodies glowing an evil green, and began to feel their souls merge.

* * *

After climbing the fountain staircase, the trio came across another door...

...only to find no way to open it. There was no lock to the door, only a carving of the Heartless symbol.

"Oh, what bunk!" Maylin exclaimed. "How do we get past this one?!"

Nick took a good look at the Heartless symbol. There were four indentations in it, each corresponding to a fourth of the symbol.

"Maybe the pieces are hiding somewhere around here," Nick stated. "We probably just have to find them and put them in so we can open the door."

"Well, then let's get cracking," Haruka replied. "Looks like we've got some detective work to do."

After doubling back, the trio noticed a door to the far left of the hall that lead into the castle's absolutely gigantic library.

"Ooookay, what exactly do we do here?" Maylin quipped. "Not much room to work, if I might say."

Nick turned around and noticed a red book sitting on the ground near a bookshelf, then swung his gaze up to a row of red books on said bookshelf with a space between them.

Out of curiosity, Nick picked up the red book and placed it with the other red books on the shelf. A loud rumble resounded as the entire bookshelf swung back to reveal a path further into the library.

"Whoa, magic bookshelf!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I think that's the key here," Nick answered. "We have to put the missing books back in their proper places so we can put the library back to what it's supposed to be. Maybe then we can find the pieces to that door."

"Well, let's go play librarian!" Maylin laughed as the trio split up to find the missing books.

After about twenty minutes of searching, the library looked completely different from when they'd entered it, and now, a new set of double doors that led back out into the Entrance Hall could be seen from the second floor. The trio took that doorway back into the Entrance Hall, coming out on its second floor.

"Okay, so what's the deal here?" Nick wondered.

Haruka gazed around, searching for a solution, when she noticed something about the candles lining the walls. Not a single one of them was lit, unlike the ones on the first floor.

"Hey, I wonder..." Maylin quipped once she'd noticed that, summoning Counterpoint so she could cast a Fira spell on one of the candles, lighting it instantly. Maylin did this on the other candles as the trio moved around, and when all eight on this floor were lit, something fell onto a platform in the very center of the room.

"What now? I don't think we can jump to it if it's that high..." Maylin sighed.

Nick caught sight of a stone near the platform with a bolt of lightning imprinted on it.

Nick raised the Oathkeeper and cast Thundara on the stone, activating the nearby generators and bringing the central platform down to their level.

Maylin leaped across the gap to the platform and saw an emblem piece lying on the platform. Upon closer inspection, it looked like one of the fragments to the Heartless door down on ground level.

"Hey, guys, I found one of the door pieces!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That must mean the other three are around here somewhere," Haruka quipped. "Let's keep looking."

Haruka ran around to a statue on the opposite end, smashing the two pots on each end. This caused the statue to spit out another piece of the emblem into the fountain below. Haruka jumped down to ground level to pick it up and decided to wait there.

After accidentally knocking the statue over thanks to Maylin swinging Counterpoint at the wrong time, its remains were revealed to be concealing another emblem piece.

Nick eventually found the last piece stuck to the ceiling near the doors back to the Library, casting a Thunder spell to dislodge the piece so he could retrieve it.

"All right, let's go open that door!" Maylin exclaimed as she and Nick jumped down to ground level to join Haruka and jog back to the Heartless door. When they got to it, they each placed a piece in their respective indentations and watched as the door rose into the ceiling, allowing them passage into the areas ahead.

"We're a couple of regular Professor Laytons, if I do say so myself," Maylin giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure he's tackled far more brain-benders than that," Nick quipped.

Haruka just smiled at her companions discussing a video game now of all times as the trio entered the Lift Stop.

* * *

Red smiled as the bodies of Namatame and Adachi began to float into the air, the power crystals spinning around them. It was almost time.

A new presence caught Red's attention, and he turned to see Marie walking into the Grand Hall.

...though she looked different.

Now, Marie was a couple inches taller, her hair grown out slightly, and her eyes were now silver instead of green, with her left eye now sporting a red symbol in the pupil. The most noticeable change was that she was wearing a heavy white robe not dissimilar from Mariko's.

"So," Marie proclaimed, her voice now sounding like a distorted mix of her and Mariko's voices. "I see the path has emerged at last."

"Yes, my dear Kusumi-no-Okami," Red responded. "It is good to see you have acclimated to your original body after all these years."

"It was not too hard," Kusumi-no-Okami replied.

"We have found a path to the heart of all worlds," Red stated.

"Unlock it, and the Heartless will drown this world in darkness," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed.

"I do not fear those creatures," Red proclaimed. "The darkness holds no power over me. I will use them, rather, to rule over all worlds."

"Such confidence," Kusumi-no-Okami responded. "I see you have not changed much."

Kusumi-no-Okami reached out and summoned a keyblade to her hand. It was a simple-looking keyblade with a blood-red guard and a wicked blade with teeth that formed the negative space of a heart.

"Soon," Kusumi-no-Okami sighed. "Soon, I will be complete, and my vengeance will come to be."

Red would have responded had he not sensed another power signature vast approaching.

"It's the Oracle's fools," Red stated, exiting from the mirror. "You stay here and ensure the ritual does not get interrupted. I will deal with them myself."

As Red exited the Grand Hall, Kusumi-no-Okami smiled. Oh, that poor fool had no idea what he was getting into. He believed that he could control _her_ , of all people, once she was complete.

If he tried to overthrow her right, she would show him the consequences of such wisdom.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kusumi-no-Okami laughed.

Cornelia froze in her tracks, knowing she was busted.

* * *

"How many more platforms do we have to freaking ride to get up to the top?!" Maylin sighed as the trio boarded another floating platform to ride around the higher levels of the castle, hoping to reach the top before it was too late.

After disembarking from the platform, they were only able to walk a few steps before another group of Heartless spawned in front of them. Most of them were large bird creatures with sharp wings, while a few of them were obviously mages like the tiny ones, only larger and with an actual wizard's outfit.

"Let me guess, the wizard boys are immune to magic, too?" Maylin growled, casting a Thunder spell at one of the Wizards, only to gasp in surprise when the bolt struck the Wizard and knocked it back.

"Holy crap, I can actually damage these ones?!" Maylin shouted.

"Maybe it's because of your new keyblade," Haruka quipped, cutting through one of the Wyverns with an overhead slash from Rumbling Rose. "Counterpoint's probably got much stronger magic power than Spellbinder did, so that must mean it can punch through their immunities."

"Oh, SWEET!" Maylin exclaimed, casting Gravira, the upgraded form of her Gravity spell, to bring the Wyverns down from the sky. She knew it wasn't a good idea to go fighting willy-nilly up here, where they were so high atop the castle walls. One false step and they'd most likely be falling back to the lower levels, and none of the trio wanted to repeat all the climbing they'd done to get up here.

Nick resorted to a Strike Raid to take care of the Wyverns that were flying around over the empty air. He couldn't help but crack a grin as he watched Maylin go balls-to-the-wall with her magic, now that the extra magic power of Counterpoint allowed her to actually damage the Heartless who used to be immune to her magic.

Soon enough, the Heartless were defeated, allowing the trio to take the nearby doors into the Lift Stop once again.

"Okay, this is, what, the seventh time we've been in this area?" Maylin proclaimed. "How many more crossings do we have to make?! My poor feet can't take much more of this climbing, and my Cure spells only heal battle damage, not sore feet from TWENTY-FIVE FREAKING FLOORS OF WALKING!"

Nick looked at the entryway just ahead; he could see firelight wafting from the tunnel, and not just any fire, the green fire that usually meant trouble was ahead.

"I think we're almost there," Nick replied. "I have this strange feeling, but we're getting close."

"Well, let's stop dallying and finish this!" Maylin exclaimed.

Their keyblades ready for anything, the trio crossed the short distance to the entryway and made their way into the Castel Chapel.

"Ooh, this place is creepy times ten," Maylin quipped.

"It looks like a meeting place, too," Haruka noted. "Maybe this is where the villain council met each other."

"Hey, there's someone over there," Nick stated.

Upon closer inspection, the figure resembled Blue, the deity-of-sorts who assisted the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures at the Embassy. But where Blue was, well, blue, this man was varying shades of red to contrast.

"Welcome, wielders of the keyblade," Red proclaimed, spreading his arms out in greeting. "I have been expecting you. Sad to say that you are too late. This world's keyhole is within our grasp. Once the ritual is complete, this world and all others will be plunged into darkness. There is nothing you can do to stop it."

Nick simply brandished the Oathkeeper. "Oh, put a cork in it, freak!" Nick shouted. "After coming this far, there's no way in _hell_ that we're giving up now!"

Red said nothing, magic surrounding his hands as the ground he was standing on became a large platform that carried him into the air.

"You poor, simple-minded fools," Red cackled. "Do you really believe that you can defeat me?! I AM THE MASTER OF ALL EVIL!"

Red summoned his battle staff and began chanting an arcane language, creating a vortex of ice around him so the trio couldn't get close.

"Have some lightning!" Red cackled, throwing arcs of lightning at the trio, forcing them to scatter.

"Hey, stop ganking my shtick, freako!" Maylin shouted, casting a Thunder spell that was merely fizzled out by the ice vortex.

Nick dodged away from another lightning bolt before casting a Fira spell, but that, too, was absorbed by the vortex.

"Crap, nothing's working!" Nick shouted. "We need to find some way to bring him down so we can get a shot!"

"Bring him _down_ , you say..." Maylin giggled, aiming Counterpoint for Red's floating platform and casting Gravira, the purple dome of energy surrounding Red himself and bringing the platform back to ground level, forcing Red to dispel the ice vortex.

"All right, guys, let's get in there and wail on him!" Haruka shouted, and the trio went in to attack while Red was stuck there, still feeling the effects of the Gravira.

After a few hits, Red unleashed a pulse wave that knocked everyone away from him, and raised the platform again, this time creating pillars of light that circled around the platform.

"Try and get me now!" Red cackled.

Nick responded to that by unleashing a Strike Raid, timing his throws to slip through the gaps in the light pillars and deal damage to Red.

After a few hits, Red was forced to drop the pillars of light, and fell to his knees. Maylin quickly cast Gravira to bring the platform down again, and Nick leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders to launch himself at Red.

Red, drained as he was, could only watch in shock as Nick delivered a savage blow to his chest, sending him crashing off the platform and into one of the walls of the chapel.

"Master of all evil, my ass," Nick proclaimed. "You just got your butt handed to you by a bunch of _teenagers_!"

"This... will not be forgiven..." Red gasped, raising his right hand and opening a portal behind him that he quickly backed into.

"After him!" Maylin shouted, the trio immediately giving chase through the portal into a large atrium covered with gigantic thorny vines.

"End of the road, Red," Nick challenged. "Nowhere left for you to run."

"I... will _not_ surrender to... a bunch of _brats_ such as you..." Red growled, his pain obvious.

"Need some help, do you?"

Red looked up and felt some energy come back to him at hearing Kusumi-no-Okami's voice. Nick, rather, was quite shocked to see the person he thought was his sister.

"M-Marie, what happened to you?!" Nick shouted.

"The girl you called your sibling is no more," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "She is a part of me now, and always has been."

Nick clutched the Oathkeeper tightly in response to this.

"Hey, what the heck is _that_ monstrosity?!" Maylin exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the Dark Keyblade in Kusumi-no-Okami's hand.

"A keyblade, like yours," Kusumi-no-Okami responded. "But _un_ like yours, it holds the power to _un_ lock people's hearts. How about I demonstrate it for your feeble minds? Behold!"

Kusumi-no-Okami spun around and stabbed Red in the stomach with the Dark Keyblade. Dark energy began to flow from the keyblade into Red's body.

"W-what are you doing, traitor?!" Red shouted.

"Now, open your heart," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "Surrender it to the darkness, and become darkness itself!"

Her work done, Kusumi-no-Okami opened a dark corridor and walked into it.

Despite his earlier terror at Kusumi-no-Okami apparently betraying him, Red now felt positively exhilarated at the power she had unlocked within him.

"This... this power..." Red gasped, standing tall as the darkness flowed through his body unchecked. "This is wonderful! The power of dArknEss tHat flOWs thROuGh me! THe TrUE DarKNesS tHat EMbOdiES mY VErY SoUL!"

Red's distorted voice faded into a garbled mess as darkness exploded from his body, enveloping nearly the entire room. When the darkness cleared away, Red had become an enormous red dragon that fell to the ground with earth-shaking steps.

"Talk about ugly," Maylin quipped.

"No time to waste, girls," Nick stated. "We've got a job to do!"

Maylin and Haruka didn't need to be told twice, each splitting off to dash to opposite sides of Red as he stomped around, each step creating shockwaves from his feet that prevented anyone from getting too close.

As Red swung his head around, spewing fire breath every which way, Maylin cast a Thunder spell to send a lightning bolt straight into Red's mouth, causing the great dragon to roar in agony.

"Ooh, he didn't like that," Maylin giggled.

Haruka kept using Strike Raid over and over to attack Red's head, not wanting to get too close to those razor-sharp teeth.

After a few more hits, Red spun around to face Haruka, giving Nick an idea on how to proceed. While Red was distracted trying to swipe at Haruka with his measly arms, Nick hopped onto the dragon's legs and began to climb onto its back, where he knew Red couldn't attack him, and began using Strike Raid to attack the head much like Haruka had just been doing.

Sure enough, Red attempted to knock Nick off, but was unable to reach him or turn his head to spew fire breath due to Maylin still firing spells at his head.

"Yeah, how does _that_ feel?!" Nick laughed, only for Red to lift his entire back half into the air, finally forcing Nick back to the ground. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

Haruka dove to the left to avoid the fireballs that Red was now coughing up, before leaping up to slam Rumbling Rose into Red's neck, delighted to hear a rather brutal 'crack' as Red collapsed to the ground, its head crashing right near the trio.

Nick went in and unleashed an Ars Arcanum on the vulnerable head, hoping to get as much damage as possible in before Red could recover.

Just when it seemed like the final blow would be struck, Red picked himself up and leaped away to the other side of the atrium.

"Oh, come on, we were so close!" Maylin exclaimed.

Suddenly, as he watched Red lower his head every now and then to breathe fire, Nick had an idea of how to end the fight.

"Girls, can you get him closer? Try to get his head down to us," Nick stated. "I've got a plan cooking up."

"Roger that!" Maylin proclaimed, casting an upgraded Magnet spell, Magnera, right in front of her. The magnetic force began to drag Red towards them, even as his head continued to spew deadly fire.

Nick raised Oathkeeper and began channeling his magic power as Maylin exerted more force on the Magnera. Red lowered his head to chomp at the trio, and that's when Nick made his move, raising his free hand and casting a wide-range Stopra spell that completely froze Red where he was.

While Maylin and Haruka watched in awe, Nick rushed forward so fast it appeared he was gliding over the floor and unleashed a storm of lightning-fast slashes on Red's head.

The entire atrium was silent for a few seconds, just waiting, until the Stopra spell wore off and the damage was inflicted. Red began to thrash around in abject agony, roaring unintelligible curses until he could finally take no more, and slumped to the floor in defeat. The thorns surrounding the room vanished with a flash of light and green flames consumed Red, burning away at him until nothing remained but his cloak, which lay tattered and broken.

"YES!" Maylin shouted, running over and hugging Nick tightly. "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"That was quite the finish," Haruka giggled. "What's that one called?"

"Lethal Frame," Nick quipped. "I love cooking up new moves on the spot. So much fun..."

A summon gem rolled up to Nick's feet. He picked it up and studied it in surprise. "Huh. Who'd have thought he was holding one of these?"

"Probably couldn't figure out how to use it," Maylin quipped.

"Oh, the irony. He was just another puppet in the end."

Nick looked back to see Kusumi-no-Okami walking back into the atrium, staring derisively at Red's cloak.

"The Heartless were using him from the very start," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "Obsessed with complete dominion as he was, he never noticed the darkness in his heart consuming him little by little until they had complete control of him."

Kusumi-no-Okami simply waved the Dark Keyblade in the cloak's direction, and the tattered robe disintegrated instantly. "What a fitting end for such a fool."

And with her opinion given, Kusumi-no-Okami disappeared through another dark corridor. Meanwhile, the portal the trio had used to reach this room re-opened, allowing them to walk back to the Castle Chapel to regain their footing after the past few battles.

Once they had returned to the Castle Chapel, a wall nearby collapsed to reveal another pathway.

"Well, do you guys wanna take a quick break?" Maylin quipped. "With the main dude out of the way, I think we've earned a rest."

Nick looked down the pathway that had just opened, an ominous feeling gripping his mind. He had no idea what it was, but something was urging him onwards, to move through this hallway and confront whatever lay at the end of the path.

"Girls, I don't know if you feel it, but something tells me we don't have time to rest," Nick stated. "We still have whoever that was that looks like Marie to deal with, and I just... I have a _really_ bad feeling..."

"Always trust your feelings, Nick," Maylin stated. "You never know how right you may be. If you're feeling anxious, then let's go and put an end to this!"

The trio readied their keyblades for whatever lay ahead and dashed into the tunnel, once more crossing through the Lift Stop and straight into the Grand Hall, the throne room of the Blue Sky Kingdom's reigning royalty.

"Fancy place," Maylin quipped.

"It's probably the king and queen's throne room," Haruka stated.

As the group crossed the Grand Hall to the large vortex of energy that was open directly behind the throne, they gazed at the strange capsules on either side of the hallway, which held sleeping citizens inside of them.

"You think they're citizens of the kingdom?" Haruka wondered.

"I'll bet they were probably put in some kind of flash-freeze to protect themselves when the kingdom was attacked," Maylin stated.

The trip up the stairs to the throne itself was a quiet one...

...until Nick saw who was slumped on the queen's chair, completely unconscious but otherwise unharmed.

"What? Cornelia?!" Nick exclaimed. Indeed, it was Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth. But what was she doing here?

"Hey, how'd she get here?" Maylin wondered. "I thought she was stuck in Candracar with the Veil closed as it is!"

A strange ripple of darkness resounded, and Kusumi-no-Okami walked through the vortex, smiling wickedly.

"That pathetic Veil means nothing to me," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "I simply traveled through the dark realm to get there. Your precious Oracle think he is able to protect his realm the way he is. Soon, not even the Veil will stop the Heartless from drowning Candracar in darkness."

"Wait just a minute," Nick growled. "You're not Marie. Who are you?"

"I am Kusumi-no-Okami, the Seeker of Darkness."

Kusumi-no-Okami brandished the Dark Keyblade. "One of three avatars of the divine ruler Izanami-no-Mikoto, the one who is destined to remake this pathetic universe. The ritual you have heard so much about was to bring her avatars together along with her great power so that she may be reborn."

Nick hesitantly raised the Oathkeeper as Kusumi-no-Okami approached.

"Many millenia ago, Izanami-no-Mikoto ruled this universe with the power of darkness, long after the great darkness enveloped the true light, only to be defeated by a group of misguided warriors, the very first wielders of the keyblade," Kusumi-no-Okami explained. "To ensure she could never again exert her dominance, the first master of masters split Izanami-no-Mikoto into three avatars and scattered her divine power into many fragments before sending them to all corners of the multiverse, in hopes that they would never be reunited."

"So that was your plan," Nick realized. "You've been traveling through all the worlds out there and searching for her fragments."

"Correct," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "But the master of masters proved to be crafty, as he split myself into a further two avatars. One being myself as Mariko Kusumi, and the other eventually reincarnated as your sibling. So, child, in short, your sister was never really your family at all, merely a means to my end."

"Stop dancing on my heart, you bitch," Nick growled. "I loved Marie, no matter what you might think. Adopted or not, she was still my little sister, and you wrenched her away from me!"

"I care not for your pitiful ramblings," Kusumi-no-Okami shot back. "The keyhole is nearly complete. When it is finished, I will at last be able to reunite with my other avatars and resume my dominion over this universe. All I must do first... is get rid of you wretched annoyances."

Kusumi-no-Okami swung the Dark Keyblade, creating a wave of force that knocked Maylin and Haruka back down the stairway just as a magical barrier formed around the throne room, sealing Maylin and Haruka off from the battle that was about to ensue.

"Now, I will complete the keyhole, and it will lead me into everlasting darkness!" Kusumi-no-Okami chanted, raising the Dark Keyblade to the vortex, only for the Oathkeeper to come spinning through the air and knock her hand away from it.

"Not while I'm here," Nick growled, catching the Oathkeeper.

"Come, then," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed, holding the Dark Keyblade in the same stance Marie had wielded Stormfall in.

Despite the anger he was feeling, Nick knew not to just dash in and attack without thinking. Kusumi-no-Okami was most likely a skilled fighter and would be ready for many of his tactics.

 _So let's try thinking outside the box,_ Nick thought as Kusumi-no-Okami lashed out with a quick one-two cut before leaping into the air and coming down with an attack that caused small waves of darkness to shoot out at Nick, forcing him to dodge before moving in to counterattack.

Kusumi-no-Okami simply ducked Nick's incoming swing and thundered forward with an overhead slash that knocked Nick for a loop, though he was able to quickly recover and right his posture.

"Well? Is that all?" Kusumi-no-Okami laughed, only to be blown a few steps back by a point-blank Thunder spell.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Nick shot back, switching to World System for some extra power.

Kusumi-no-Okami simply lunged towards Nick, the Dark Keyblade throwing an energy disc out at him. Nick quickly cast Reflect to block the strike before dispelling it, knowing that she wouldn't dare get close enough for him to reflect the damage back.

After a few seconds of the two combatants taking slow steps around to assess each other, Nick was the first to go on the offensive, swinging low to get Kusumi-no-Okami to block down that way, giving Nick the time to land three slashes followed by a Ripple Drive that knocked Kusumi-no-Okami back.

"I must commend you," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "You are one of very few who have ever managed to hurt me as you have. You are quite skilled for your age."

"The devil is in the details, so put up or shut up," Nick replied, spinning World System in his hands.

"Very well. You shall be the first in millenia to witness my power," Kusumi-no-Okami stated, jumping a short distance towards Nick and slamming the Dark Keyblade into the ground, creating a geyser of darkness that erupted from the point of impact. She did it again, even as Nick dodged away from the attack, but on the third jump, the strike caused dark pillars to erupt all around her, a few of them actually catching Nick and dazing him for a few precious seconds.

"Now, witness _true_ power!" Kusumi-no-Okami exclaimed, raising the Dark Keyblade to the sky and charging forward, only to vanish before she reached Nick, leaving him confused.

All of a sudden, Kusumi-no-Okami reappeared, flying by as fast as lightning and slashing at Nick many times from multiple angles, not letting up for even a second. And those attacks _hurt_ , as Nick was unable to bring his keyblade up to defend himself due to the pain of the Dark Keyblade rending his body.

After a few more passes, Kusumi-no-Okami reappeared a few feet above the throne room. "Drown in darkness!" she proclaimed, planting the Dark Keyblade into the ground and causing dark shockwaves to ripple out from the point of impact, damaging Nick even further and causing him to crash unceremoniously to the ground in front of the vacant king's chair.

"Now will you abandon this pitiful crusade before you do something you'll regret?" Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed.

"You... you can go stuff it," Nick gasped, attempting to stand and fight, despite the damage he'd taken.

Kusumi-no-Okami simply sighed. "Humans. So supremely stubborn, even in the face of your own demise. Very well, then."

A slashing sound, a sharp pain in his chest, and Nick's world spun. Somehow managing to muster enough strength to look down, he saw that Kusumi-no-Okami had just impaled him in the chest with the Dark Keyblade.

As injured as he was, Nick could barely hear the panicked screams of Maylin and Haruka as they attempted to force their way through the barrier.

Nick attempted to take one last potshot at Kusumi-no-Okami, but his hands couldn't muster the needed strength and fell limp, the Oathkeeper clattering to the ground and vanishing in a flash of light.

As Nick's mind began to shut down, he didn't even notice that his body was beginning to dissolve into particles of light and darkness.

 _What is this feeling?_ Nick thought. _I'm... fading... falling... into darkness..._

With that final thought, Nick's body completely vanished, leaving nothing behind at all.

The barrier finally went down, and Maylin and Haruka rushed to the throne room, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

"What did you _do_ , you little _bitch_?!" Maylin screamed, tears streaking from her eyes even as Haruka attempted to hold her back. "What did you do with Nick?!"

"He is no longer a problem to me," Kusumi-no-Okami replied, hefting the Dark Keyblade onto her shoulders. "That is all you need to know."

"Haruka, get off! I'm gonna _murder_ this son of a bitch! LET ME GO!"

"Maylin, there's nothing we can do!" Haruka shouted. "If even Nick couldn't do anything, what makes you think _we_ stand a chance?!"

Kusumi-no-Okami smirked. "So you know your place after all. Consider yourselves lucky, then."

Kusumi-no-Okami turned to the vortex and raised the Dark Keyblade, shooting a beam of darkness into it. The vortex began to pulse ominously and wickedly, as if it would grow out of control at any moment and consume everything like a ravenous black hole.

"The keyhole is complete," Kusumi-no-Okami stated. "Very soon, this world will be swallowed by the darkness. How sad that you came so far, only to fail spectacularly in the end."

"N-Nick?"

The new voice caught Kusumi-no-Okami's attention, and she turned around to notice that Cornelia was awake, standing there and staring at where Nick had just been.

"Too late, Earth Guardian," Kusumi-no-Okami cackled. "He is gone."

Cornelia screamed so loudly it echoed in the throne room as she charged straight for Kusumi-no-Okami, slamming her hand to the ground and creating a pillar of rock and granite that actually caught Kusumi-no-Okami off guard and knocked her into the air.

But if Kusumi-no-Okami was surprised by that, it was nothing compared to what came next; a keyblade actually flashed into Cornelia's hands. This keyblade's shaft had a textured, dark brown color, with brass edges. The teeth were made of two pick-like points, with two hammer-like protrusions on the opposite side. The guard was an off-blue color, and seemed to be crafted from two Omega insignias and the keychain token was a reddish rock fragment with brass armor-like plating.

"H-How did you..." Kusumi-no-Okami gasped as Cornelia swung Earthshaker with all the speed she could muster, actually catching Kusumi-no-Okami across the shoulder and forcing her back.

"Oh, you think I'm mad now?" Cornelia growled, aiming Earthshaker for Kusumi-no-Okami. "I'm going to get downright _pissed_ if you don't give Nick back."

"There is nothing you can do," Kusumi-no-Okami retorted. "He is lost to the darkness, and there is nothing that you can..."

Just then, Kusumi-no-Okami's body froze in its spot, almost as if she'd lost control of it completely.

"W-what... impossible..." Kusumi-no-Okami gasped.

To the shock of everyone present, a transparent image of Marie appeared, spreading her arms out and keeping Kusumi-no-Okami from advancing.

"No... you won't use me for this!" Marie shouted.

"W-what the hell's going on?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"You have to run! The Heartless are coming!" Marie screamed as a flood of Neoshadows began to crawl out of the pulsing vortex.

"Yeah, that's our cue! Let's beat it, Maylin!" Haruka shouted.

"But what about the keyhole?!" Maylin shot back. "We have to seal it!"

"I don't think it'll do us any good right now!" Haruka retorted. "Now let's make ourselves scarce before _we_ get swallowed by the darkness, too!"

Seeing no other option, Maylin, Haruka, and Cornelia raced straight out of the Grand Hall, not knowing that one of the Neoshadows was watching them leave.

Wondering why they hadn't seen it, the Neoshadow began to make its own way out of the Grand Hall, following the three keyblade wielders.

The Neoshadow was delighted to notice that the barriers surrounding the different areas of the Lift Stop were down, allowing it to simply fall down the ledges to reach the Entrance Hall.

About halfway through the tunnel, though, more Neoshadows surrounded the wayward one, as if they knew.

 _Move it! I don't have time for you!_

The Neoshadow floated up and spun through the air, easily taking out its pursuers and leaving it all by itself.

"Seriously, Cornelia, what were you even doing here in the first place?" Haruka asked. "I thought you were all safe in Candracar..."

"That hooded woman ambushed me," Cornelia admitted. "Next thing I knew, I was here. I tried to escape, but she caught me and knocked me out. Wish I knew why, though..."

"Maybe she was attempting to bait us in," Haruka answered.

The group suddenly stopped right in front of a large group of Neoshadows that were ready for battle.

"Oh, crap," Maylin sighed, readying Counterpoint.

"Hold on, guys! Here comes the cavalry!"

The water from the fountain suddenly began to swirl around in the air until it slammed into the pack of Neoshadows and scattered them.

Cornelia was the first to notice the remaining Guardians of the Veil rushing into the Entrance Hall from the front entryway.

"W-When did you guys get here?" Cornelia gasped.

"Just arrived," Will responded, throwing a pink lightning bolt from the Heart into a Neoshadow's face. "The Oracle sensed the darkness coming from here and let us through to investigate."

"And it seems like we got here just in time!" Irma exclaimed, commanding the fountain's water to blow Neoshadows away left and right.

"Hey, has anyone seen Nick?" Taranee wondered.

Maylin and Haruka sighed heavily, neither one wanting to tell the others what had just happened.

The Neoshadow made its way down the stairs and stopped right in front of the group, attempting to signal to them.

"Ack, there's another one!" Hay Lin shouted.

The Neoshadow frantically waved its arms, hoping no one would fly off the handle and attack it.

"Wait, why is it waving to us?" Cornelia wondered.

"Does it really matter?" Maylin growled, brandishing Counterpoint towards the Neoshadow. "I'm in an _extremely_ foul mood right now, so just let me blast this thing to hell and be done with it!"

The Neoshadow pointed to Counterpoint, before swinging its arms in a way that made it appear it was trying to say something.

Maylin stared at the Neoshadow for a couple seconds as it continued to play charades, until something clicked into place in her mind.

"H-Holy crap, I think that's Nick!" Maylin exclaimed, causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"Is... is there anything you can do, Will?" Haruka wondered. "Can the Heart help him?"

"I don't know," Will answered. "I've never really used the Heart like that before, but it's worth a shot."

Will walked up to the Neoshadow, summoning the Heart of Candracar to her hand.

"Hey. Can you understand me?" Will asked. The Neoshadow nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna try something that might get you back," Will stated. "Close your eyes and hold on tight."

Will held the Heart out as it began to glow brightly. A bright burst of pink energy erupted from the Heart, flooding the room with light for a few seconds.

When the light finally cleared, Nick was standing where the Neoshadow had been, his eyes closed and the Oathkeeper clutched tightly in his hands.

After what seemed like forever to everyone standing there, Nick opened his eyes and cracked a grin.

"Hey, guys. What'd I miss?"

"NICK!" Maylin shouted, throwing herself straight into Nick's arms.

"Whoa, easy there, Maylin," Nick quipped. "I wasn't gone for that long..."

"I thought you were _dead_ , you doofus!" Maylin cried. "I SAW that freak stab you in the heart!"

Nick thought back to the strange feeling he'd experience after fading away from that fight. "I was lost in the darkness, and I couldn't find my way," Nick explained. "As I kept stumbling through the darkness, I started forgetting thinks, like my friends and even who I was. Just when I thought I was going to be swallowed, I heard voices... your voices."

Nick looked at everyone and smiled brightly. "The light from all of your hearts guided me out of the darkness. I really _do_ have the best friends ever."

"We wouldn't forget about you, Nick," Haruka replied. "No way in _hell_. Our hearts will always be connected, just like you told us."

Sadly, the moment was ruined when a new swarm of Heartless spawned all around them, consisting of many Darkballs and Wyverns.

"Oh, _that_ can't be good," Irma groaned.

" _Tender Starfall!"_

Cure Tender leaped from the second floor railing and thrust her palms forward, unleashing a shockwave of dark purple star-shaped projectiles that vaporized a good chunk of the Heartless.

"Hurry! You've gotta run!" Cure Tender exclaimed.

"Come with us!" Maylin shot back.

"I'm not leaving without Iona!" Cure Tender exclaimed. "Now GO! The Heartless won't be gone for long!"

"Did somebody call for reinforcements?!" Cure Princess shouted as she burst through the front gates and used a Princess Machine Gun to obliterate the rest of the Heartless. The other Happiness Charge Pretty Cures were right behind her.

"I think that's all we need to hear," Irma proclaimed. "We've got everyone we need, so let's get the heck out of dodge, peeps and cronies!"

"We just need to get outside, and then I can take us all back to the Gummi Ship," Haruka stated. "Let's beat it!"

With Cure Tender in tow, the entire party raced through the front gates and back out to the Castle Gates. Haruka wasted no time in activating the teleporters and beaming everyone aboard the Gummi Ship.

* * *

"Nick... I'm so sorry..."

Marie stumbled down a strange path, unsure of where she was, or if she was even alive anymore.

"Is this... the afterlife?" Marie asked, not surprised to receive no answer. After crossing by another weird rock formation, she noticed that her body was slightly transparent, as if she was fading into nothingness.

"No... I can't... not yet," Marie gasped. "I have to see Nick one more time... and tell him how sorry I am..."

 _Marie, can you hear me? I'll be there soon._

"Who was that?" Marie exclaimed, immediately going on the defensive.

 _I've got the other keyblade... the one that comes from this world._

Marie just scratched her head, still confused at everything surrounding her.

 _I've been trying to get in contact with you, but the darkness in your heart kept me from finding you._

"W-who are you?" Marie asked, deciding to at least _try_ and hold on. "What happened to me?"

 _Your heart fought the darkness, and it won, but it was too late for your body. That's why you're stuck here, in this place of darkness where hearts gather._

"So, is there anything I can do?" Marie wondered.

 _The door to darkness will open soon, but it's not a door we can enter. It needs to be closed from both sides. To do this, you need two keys and two hearts. You might be here for the same reason I am. Maybe... it was fate._

"Fate, eh? You seem to know a lot, huh? So, can you tell me if Nick is okay?" Marie asked. "I still have to apologize..."

Marie looked up, and almost thought she was seeing Nick running towards her.

 _Don't you feel their heart's echoes? You know the answer already, Marie. Just... look inside your own heart. You can feel them, right?_

Marie opened her eyes, and though the image of Nick was gone, she simply smiled.

"Yeah," Marie sighed, seemingly at ease. "Thank you."

* * *

"Okay, so what exactly happened up there?" Cure Princess wondered as the Pretty Cures reverted to their normal selves. The group had convened in the Third District of Traverse Town to discuss what had gone down at the Blue Sky Kingdom. "What was with the sudden upshot of Heartless?"

And so, Nick recounted everything that had happened. As he did so, Iona and Maria glanced back at each other, knowing that their kingdom was in danger of falling again due to the darkness flowing from the keyhole.

"So the darkness is flowing from the keyhole, then..." Maria stated. "No wonder there's so many more Heartless around than before. I guess the only way to stop them is to seal that keyhole."

"But who knows what's gonna happen when we _do_ seal it?" Hime wondered.

"Well, we can't just sit on our laurels," Nick replied, summoning the Oathkeeper to his hands. "I've got someone to save, after all."

"Oh, yeah! I seriously thought Marie was gone for good after what that bitch did to her..." Maylin growled.

"I don't know how much of Marie is left within that monster..." Haruka quipped. "We have to get back there soon."

"Maybe Kiva can help us," Nick replied.

"Did someone call me?" Kiva asked, having just arrived from the Second District.

"Ah, right on time as always, Kiva!" Maylin giggled.

"Listen, Kiva, we're kinda in a tight spot at the moment," Nick explained. "So I'm gonna cut right to the chase. We need to go back to the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"I wish I could let you guys this time," Kiva answered. "But I just checked my scanners, and the Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. Your ship wouldn't stand a chance if you just went right back there."

"Then, what _can_ we do?" Nick wondered.

"Simple," Kiva replied. "Go around them. Install a new navigation gummi and take a different route to the kingdom. I've got one back at my house that I kept just in case I would ever need one. I'll take care of it for you."

"Seriously, Kiva, _you rock_!" Maylin exclaimed.

"By the way, I might as well take care of this while we wait," Nick quipped, bringing out the summon gem he'd acquired from the battle with Red. "Mister red boy dropped this when we stuffed him."

" _You defeated Red?!"_ all five Happiness Charge Pretty Cures shouted, in complete shock at Nick's seemingly innocent comment.

"How in god's green smurf did you do it?!" Hime exclaimed.

"Who exactly _was_ he?" Maylin wondered. "All we really know is that he was the leader of that villains' council that's been terrorizing the worlds lately."

"Red was the leader of the Phantom Empire, the Blue Sky Kingdom's sworn enemies," Iona explained. "And he was Blue's brother, too. We had just liberated the Blue Sky Kingdom from them when our world was taken from us. We had no idea he was still around..."

"He was using the Blue Sky Kingdom as his base of operations," Haruka stated. "Mariko said that it exists on a separate dimensional plane from your world, so that's why only that Earth was consumed."

"Okay, but back to the question at hand, _how did you defeat him?!_ " Megumi gasped.

"Apparently, the dumbass tried to use the power of darkness to control all the worlds," Maylin quipped. "But he apparently didn't realize it was making him an easy target for the Heartless..."

"In the end, Kusumi-no-Okami unlocked his heart and flooded it with darkness, and we took him _and_ his dragon self down," Nick continued. "After that, he just faded away. Nothing's left of him."

"He tried to control the darkness, but in the end, the darkness was controlling him," Haruka stated.

After a few more conversations, Nick, Maylin and Haruka set off for the Magic House to unlock Nick's newest summon gem.

"I am glad to see you are all safe," Kikyo proclaimed.

"I suppose you heard?" Nick quipped.

"Darkness is flooding out of the Blue Sky Kingdom, and the Heartless are growing stronger by the minute," Kikyo stated.

"The only way it's gonna stop is if you guys can get back there and seal the keyhole before it's too late," Kagome responded, immediately reaching out as Nick handed off the summon gem.

"Here's hoping your new friend can lend you the strength you need," Kagome proclaimed, channeling her spiritual powers and transforming the summon gem into a purple heart-shaped crystal.

"Please seal that keyhole," Kagome pleaded. "You're the only ones who can save us all."

"You can count on us," Haruka proclaimed.

And sure enough, as the trio left the Magic House and returned to the Third District, a group of Heartless spawned around them, mostly Wyverns and Darkballs, along with a few Red Nocturnes and Blue Rhapsodies.

"Right on cue," Haruka giggled. "Nick, I think you know what to do."

"Oh, you know it," Nick proclaimed, bringing out the Heartjewel and focusing his power into it. Maylin and Haruka disappeared as the Heartless began to close in.

 **("Cynthia no Hikari" by Aoi Eir plays)**

Nick tossed the Heartjewel into the air and brought the Oathkeeper behind him, beams of light streaking towards the teeth of the blade. After a second, Nick traced a complicated pattern with the teeth before slashing the Oathkeeper through it, causing purple streaks of light to converge on the Heartjewel before exploding outwards in a flash of energy.

A figure descended from the flash, landing gracefully on the ground. The figure appeared to be a girl, probably no older than he was, with lustrous and gorgeous, long, purplish-black hair, and red eyes. She wore obsidian chest armor, a bluebottle violet tunic and a windswept skirt of the same color beneath the armor, with a thin, black sheath hanging on her waist.

One of the Wyverns attempted to divebomb Nick, but Yuuki was much faster on the draw, drawing her sword and lashing out with incredible speed, stopping the Wyvern right in its tracks.

"No sneak attacks on my watch!" Yuuki proclaimed, readying her sword as the Heartless approached.

Nick and Yuuki went to work, cutting down the Heartless all around them with swift strikes, even as more continued to spawn.

As two Wyverns floated high into the air to avoid retribution, Yuuki simply smirked.

"Oh, you wanna play an air game, eh?" Yuuki laughed, dashing over so she could pick Nick up, unfold her wings, and take to the sky.

Yuuki began to deftly dodge the Wyverns' strikes while Nick retaliated by firing blades of light from the Oathkeeper at any Wyvern that tried to get close.

After a few barrages, Nick and Yuuki returned to the ground just in time for a new Heartless to spawn, this one being a lion-like creature holding a large circular shield with a lion's face on it.

"Oh, so the big guy came out," Yuuki giggled. "Wanna finish this thing off?"

"I'd be delighted," Nick quipped, readying the Oathkeeper. The Defender hobbled over to them, launching fireballs from its shield as it did so. Nick and Yuuki easily avoided the magic before charging in.

Yuuki readied her weapon and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down the Defender's shield. Nick brandished the Oathkeeper and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Nick and Yuuki reared back and thrust their weapons forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of their blades straight into the center of the X they'd formed with the earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from the Defender upon impact, shredding it on the spot.

And with that, the Heartless swarm drew to a close. Yuuki flashed Nick a victory sign before returning to the Heartjewel and allowing Maylin and Haruka to return.

"Wow, she's cool!" Maylin exclaimed.

"No kidding," Haruka quipped. "But... why do I get the feeling her story's kinda tragic?"

"Hopefully if we ever make it to her world, we can ask her ourselves," Nick replied.

Kiva walked up once everything was clear. "Okay, guys, you're all set! The new navi-gummi's been installed, and can get going any time. To be honest with the three of you, I really wish you didn't have to face all of this danger. Just promise me you won't get cocky because you've been to that place already. The kingdom's probably _flooded_ with those creatures by this point..."

"We'll do everything we can," Maylin replied. "We've still got someone we've gotta save, after all."

"Guys, guys!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"You're transformed already?" Nick asked. "What's the occasion?"

Cure Lovely sighed before looking back up, her eyes filled with determination. "We're going to the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"We won't let the Heartless run our kingdom into the dust as long as we're around!" Cure Fortune proclaimed.

"Are you nuts?!" Maylin exclaimed. "The Heartless are multiplying by the second! You won't last!"

"We'll hold them off as long as it takes you guys to get back to the kingdom and seal the keyhole," Cure Honey stated. "We're fighters by nature."

"After all, we're Pretty Cures, the guardians of light!" Cure Lovely proclaimed. "We'll _never_ let the darkness consume us!"

"Spoken like true heroes," Haruka laughed. "But how are you going to get there without a Gummi Ship?"

"The Embassy," Cure Tender replied. "Now that we know the kingdom still exists, Blue said he can take us there."

"Sorry we can't take you guys with us, but only Pretty Cures like us can use the Embassy," Cure Fortune stated.

"Just make sure to save some for us, okay?" Maylin teased.

"Will do!" Cure Princess shouted as the two groups split off.

"Well, guys, let's get going," Maylin stated as they returned to the First District to access the Gummi Ship.

* * *

"That's odd," Haruka quipped as she examined the main control console.

"What's up, Haruka?" Maylin wondered.

"The computer's telling me that a strange power is emanating from all the worlds we've visited so far," Haruka explained.

"Hmmm, maybe it might be worth our time to revisit the worlds and see what we can find!" Maylin proclaimed. "Let's do a milk run!"

And so, the Gummi Ship set off on its journey through the Lanes Between.

"Um, guys?"

"What's going on, Maylin?"

"WARP HOLE DEAD AHEAD!" Maylin shouted, pointing towards the swirling vortex of red and blue that was approaching fast. "Evasive maneuvers!"

"No good! It's pulling us in!" Haruka exclaimed, attempting to steer away to no avail.

As the Gummi Ship was pulled into the vortex, a bright flash consumed the cockpit for a few seconds.

When the light finally cleared away enough for everyone aboard to get their sight back, they noticed that the Gummi Ship had parked in front of a large and majestic temple-like structure.

"Ooookay, what's _this_ place?" Nick wondered, noting Maylin and Haruka's surprise.

"Nick... that's _Candracar_ ," Maylin gasped.

"Whoa, so that warp hole took us to Candracar, of all places?" Nick asked. "Why, exactly?"

"Maybe the Oracle summoned us here," Haruka quipped. "That still seems odd, though..."

"Well, we won't know until we find out," Nick replied. "Let's disembark and find out what the Oracle wants to talk about."

"Right-o, then. Prepare for landing!" Haruka proclaimed.

* * *

"Whoa, this place is something else," Nick gasped as the trio walked down the long and elegant hallway that led to the Congregation Hall.

"You've never been here before, Nick?" Maylin wondered.

"I figured I wasn't allowed," Nick answered, summoning the Oathkeeper to his hands. Just in case. "From what the girls told me, the only way to get here is if the Oracle summons them or if the Keeper uses the Heart to transport someone there."

"Must mean it was the Oracle," Haruka replied. "Because as far as I know, W.I.T.C.H. is still in Traverse Town."

"Actually, we kinda beat you guys to the punch."

Nick looked up and saw that all five members of W.I.T.C.H. were already in the Congregation Hall.

"Did you guys get summoned, too?" Maylin asked as the trio rushed over to meet up with the Guardians.

"Yeah, it was kinda sudden," Hay Lin admitted. "We're not even sure what he wants to talk about."

"Stand true, my Guardians of the Veil."

Everyone turned in their spot and noticed that Himerish, Candracar's oracle, had appeared before them.

"Step forth, new bearer of the keyblade," Himerish proclaimed, gesturing towards Nick. Still unsure of what was going on, Nick began to hesitantly walk to where the Oracle stood.

"You need not be afraid, young one," Himerish stated. "You are here at my behest."

"That's what I'm confused about," Nick answered. "I thought I couldn't come here because I'm not a Guardian like the girls."

"But you are a keyblade wielder," Himerish responded. "And thus you are welcome in this world. You have performed admirably in fighting off the darkness that threatens our worlds. But I understand that you now aim to return to the heart of the overflowing darkness that surges out from the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"Marie's still there," Nick replied. "If there's even the _slightest_ chance I can save her, I can't give up on her. She's my sister, after all."

"Yes, it is troubling," Himerish responded, looking to the stars. "I had hoped never to deal with Izanami-no-Mikoto and her evil. But if she is truly behind the great darkness that has threatened us, the only way to return the light and darkness to balance is to defeat her once and for all, before all worlds are swallowed by never-ending darkness."

Himerish held out his hand, a glowing ball of light clenched in his palm. "I offer you this light to protect you. Use it in victory."

The ball of light floated down to Nick's hands, revealing itself to be a trinket shaped like the five elemental symbols. Now knowing what it was for, Nick attached the trinket to the Oathkeeper and watched his keyblade transform. The weapon was a bright blue and silver in color. The shaft of the keyblade resembled a sword with four light-green feathers that resembled the Guardians' wings curving around the point of the blade. In the center of the hilt was a little jewel containing Will's element symbol, while the element symbols of the other four Guardians were printed on the shaft of the blade. The words _Ethereal Light_ ran through Nick's head.

"Guardians of the Veil, you have fought bravely," Himerish proclaimed. "Keep fighting the good fight, and bring our universe to balance once again."

"Roger that!" Maylin exclaimed.

"We'll give you guys whatever help we can give you," Will stated. "You're our friends, after all, and friends help each other out."

"Looks like you'll have some first-hand experience, too, especially now that our dear Corny has a keyblade like you guys!" Irma giggled.

That snapped Nick's attention to Cornelia. "Wait, Cornelia, you have a keyblade, too?!"

Cornelia just smiled (a smile that easily made Nick blush, though he hoped Irma hadn't seen) and summoned Earthshaker to her hand. "After you disappeared back there, I just... I don't know, got _pissed_. I wanted to hurt that freak _bad_ for what she did to you, and that's when I summoned this thing for the first time. Maybe I could ask you guys for some training when this whole mess is over."

"You came to the right teachers, after all!" Maylin laughed, only stopping when she noticed Nick's face was slightly red.

"Ooh, I think I know what he's thinking about," Maylin giggled. "Or probably, _who_..."

"Maylin, don't be a blabbermouth! She's right there, after all!" Nick shouted, unintentionally gesturing towards Cornelia before almost immediately slapping his hand over his mouth. _Damn it, my own mouth betrayed me..._

Cornelia glanced back at Nick, slightly confused. "Um, what's she 'blabbing' about?"

Nick sighed in defeat, knowing there wasn't any way of backing out now. _Thanks a lot, Maylin._ Steeling his nerves, Nick walked up to Cornelia and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Well, since Maylin _had_ to go and spill the beans, I may as well admit it," Nick explained, summoning all the courage he possessed. "Cornelia... well, I like you. Like, I _really_ like you. I have ever since I met you. But... well, you were already spoken for by that time, so there wasn't much I _could_ do."

Memories of _that_ day came flashing into Nick's mind, when he'd seen Cornelia crying whole at school due to her then-recent breakup with Caleb. "But after you guys took care of that Nerissa chick and I heard that _he_ left you, I was _furious_. I mean, what kind of jackass decides his duty is more important than the feelings of his _girlfriend_?! That's just one of my biggest berserk buttons, when people treat other people's feelings like that. Ever since, I've constantly entertained the thoughts that, maybe, just maybe, I'd have a chance with you, but..."

Nick lazily swung Ethereal Light in his hands. "I knew it was still too soon, so I kept my distance and waited. I was going to try and say something after school _that_ day, but... well, I don't think I need to repeat what happened."

Nick sighed heavily, hoping things would work out. "So, that's the truth, Cornelia. I wanted to wait until this mess was finished before I said anything about it, but Maylin apparently likes calling me out when I start blushing, so..."

 _All right, here goes... something..._

Reaching for a little more courage, Nick looked Cornelia straight in the eyes. "Cornelia... I wanted to ask you out on a date."

 _There, I said it._

Silence held the Congregation Hall for a few seconds, but to Nick, it seemed like hours. Finally, Cornelia smiled at Nick.

"You should have just asked me, silly."

Trying to make sure his ears were working right, Nick looked back at Cornelia. "Um... so, did you... just say, you know..."

Cornelia giggled at Nick's stutter, before crossing the few steps that separated them and hugging him tightly.

"Nick, my answer is yes. I'd love to go out with you."

The other Guardians, Maylin and Haruka included, started applauding as Nick returned Cornelia's hug.

 _I... Holy crap, I did it! I seriously thought I was gonna fall on my own legs, relatively speaking!_ Nick thought.

"See, Nick, now was that so hard?" Maylin giggled. "You just needed the right push."

"M-Maylin, did you do that on _purpose_?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Just call me the 'love doctor'!" Maylin proclaimed. Haruka just sighed in exasperation.

"Now you guys see what _I_ have to deal with," Haruka teased.

" _What was that?"_ Maylin snapped, summoning Counterpoint.

"As entertaining as this is..." Nick sighed. "We do have a journey to finish, after all."

"Oh, yeah!" Maylin exclaimed. "Well, if we're all done here, let's be on our way!"

"Thank you for believing in me, your majesty," Nick proclaimed, bowing to Himerish.

"It is no problem, young warrior," Himerish responded. "Now go and fulfill your destiny."

"You got it," Nick stated.

"Um, quick question," Irma quipped. "If Heatherfield's still gone, then how are you two gonna... you know..."

"There is no need to worry," Himerish proclaimed. "When the source of this darkness is defeated, all the worlds that have been swallowed by the darkness will be restored to their former selves. You will indeed have your world back when the battle is complete."

"How about we go see that new movie that just opened up, then?" Nick asked. "I've always been a sucker for those kinds of movies..."

"I'll be waiting, then," Cornelia laughed.

"So, what are you guys gonna do?" Haruka asked the Guardians.

"We'll probably stay here for the time being," Taranee stated. "It'll be safer here, especially with the darkness growing as strong as it is."

"Yeah, and we've gotta start training Corny to wield that keyblade!" Irma laughed. "Gotta get caught up, after all!"

"I will provide the training she requires," Himerish proclaimed. "You three must go and seal the keyhole before the darkness consumes us all."

"That's our job, after all!" Maylin giggled as the trio teleported back to the Gummi Ship.

Cornelia walked up to the Oracle, re-summoning Earthshaker to her hands. "All right, your majesty, I'm ready."

* * *

"Seriously, Nick, I'm proud of you," Maylin giggled, hugging Nick tightly when they had returned to the Gummi Ship. "I was wondering when you were finally gonna admit it to her."

"Now that it's out in the open, how long have you known about my crush on Cornelia?" Nick wondered.

"Since the first time you mentioned her when we were talking about the Guardians," Maylin answered. "I saw it easily, because I saw how badly you were crushing on Mira, too. But, I figured, since it was probably a little more personal, the Guardians being your friends and all, I figured I'd let it be until you could actually tell her."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how much I had to get her to keep from blabbing," Haruka laughed.

"Why, you..."

"HEY, GUYS!"

Maylin immediately squeaked with fright and fell out of her seat, twitching a few times as she recovered.

"Seriously, Ruby, I'm going to have to get caller id on this thing someday," Haruka laughed, looking at the viewscreen, which displayed the grinning, excited face of Ruby Rose.

"Ruby? Is it tournament time?" Maylin wondered.

"Oh, yeah! We've got one more bracket for you guys before the Vytal Festival Tournament begins!" Ruby exclaimed. "So swing on by if you feel like you're up to it!"

"Ruby, after everything we've just been through in the past day, I think we're more than up to it," Haruka proclaimed, activating the Warp Drive. "We're on our way!"

None of them had any idea that they were being watched from a faraway world. Kusumi-no-Okami paced through a large, dusty field, barren and devoid of all life but her. Scattered throughout this plain, stuck into the ground, were rusty, dead keyblades, corroded from years upon years of inactivity.

"This is the perfect place," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed, looking out towards the great Crossroads that had been formed from the millions of dead keyblades.

"Take as much time as you think you need, little brats," Kusumi-no-Okami taunted. "It will not matter in the end, after all. I merely need to unite with my two remaining vessels and all life as you know it..."

Kusumi-no-Okami summoned the Dark Keyblade and pointed it to the sky.

"...will be consumed by the darkness."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Oathkeeper  
** Strength: 10  
Magic: 12  
Ability: Combination Boost  
 _A keyblade representing a promise to be kept. Raises max MP by 1, and enhances magic and summoning power. Allows summon-based combination attacks to last longer._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Counterpoint  
** Strength: 7  
Magic: 18  
Ability: MP Hastega  
 _A keyblade representing the infinite prowess of a talented mage. Raises max MP by 3, and greatly enhances magic and summoning power. Increases the rate at which the MP Charge Gauge replenishes by 75%._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Rumbling Rose  
** Strength: 15  
Magic: 7  
Ability: Finishing Plus  
 _A keyblade representing the strength to protect what matters. Has great strength and allows combo finishing moves to be performed successively._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Yuuki, the Absolute Sword  
** _MP To Summon:_ 4  
 _Purpose:_ Duel enemies with excellent aerial coverage. Press /\ at any time to take to the skies and attack from above.  
 _Charge Gauge:_ For every Heartless killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/8th to allow usage of Yuuki's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Mother's Rosario** , when the Charge Gauge is full, Nick and Yuuki will unleash a combination attack on the closest Heartless in the vicinity.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Ethereal Light  
** Strength: 14  
Magic: 13  
Ability: Combo Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the united strength of the Guardians of the Veil. Possesses great strength and magic, and will increase the damage of the finishing move relative to how many combos are landed._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: All right, one more tournament to go!

Haruka: I'm hoping that maybe we can attend the Vytal Festival Tournament once this is all over. That'd be so much fun, to test my skills against Remnant's best!

Maylin: Oh, don't start with that right now, we have a tournament to win!

Haruka: Oh, and since Yang's probably gonna be the last opponent, I call battling her!

Nick: We heard you the first time, silly, we're not gonna take that chance away from you.

Haruka: Good, good.

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "True Strength"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	15. True Strength

"It doesn't look like Beacon's changed much," Haruka noted as the Gummi Ship exited warp space in front of Beacon Academy.

"You never know, honestly," Maylin quipped. "Better be on guard!"

Haruka smiled as she prepared to disembark, only to notice something odd from the control console. "Oh?"

"What is it?" Nick wondered.

Haruka gazed at the sensors in confusion; something strange was forming at the very edge of the scanners' range. "What is that?"

"What's _what_? Come on, partner, don't leave me in suspense here!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Sensors are picking up a weird anomaly from far away," Haruka answered. "According to the scanners, it's forming beyond the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"Whatever that is, it's probably the world where miss bodyjacker is waiting for us," Maylin quipped.

"Question is, how long _is_ she going to wait?" Nick asked. "Who's to say she's not just gonna go 'oh screw _this_ ' and unite with her other vessels?"

"I think she would have already done it by now," Haruka admitted. "I'll bet she's waiting for _us_."

"Didn't think villains would be the patient type," Maylin teased.

"Let's just take care of this tournament and then move on to the Blue Sky Kingdom so we can seal the keyhole," Nick proclaimed. "Then we'll do our 'milk run' and see what's different about the worlds, and after that, we end this."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Remember, guys..." Haruka started.

"We know, Haruka," Maylin groaned. "We were there when you called that fight."

"Good to see you remembered," Haruka giggled as the trio prepared to disembark, ready for one last tournament battle.

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** One final tournament awaits at Beacon Academy, and after the grand battles of the Blue Sky Kingdom, our keyblade-wielding trio believe they're ready for just about anything the universe can throw at them. The Platinum Championship will throw ten more rounds of tough Heartless at them, culminating in a battle with the last member of Team RWBY. Is Haruka ready to face Yang and claim the championship?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 15: True Strength

Night had fallen by the time Nick, Maylin, and Haruka were able to reach Amity Coliseum, where they noticed Team RWBY sparring with each other down in the arena, no doubt preparing for the Vytal Festival Tournament that was approaching quickly.

"Well, they got started quickly," Haruka stated.

"Let's go say hi," Maylin giggled as Nick activated the teleporters to transport the trio to the arena.

Ruby dodged around a few icicles that Weiss was firing from Myrtenaster, and prepared to counter when she saw Nick walking up to them.

"Hey, guys, glad you could make it!" Ruby exclaimed, causing the rest of Team RWBY to divert their attention.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world, Ruby," Haruka proclaimed.

"Ozpin just set up the last bracket for you guys before the Vytal Festival begins next week," Weiss explained. "I feel I should warn you, there are some opponents I'm not sure if you've faced yet..."

"Yeah, the Heartless are starting to pick up around here," Yang stated. "We've been seeing a lot of new ones since the last tournament, so..."

"Oh, I'm sure we've seen quite a few of those," Nick teased as he recounted everything that had happened at the Blue Sky Kingdom. The team were quite attentive listeners, gasping in all the right places, and Ruby even nearly fell over in shock when Nick revealed his (thankfully) short stint as a Heartless.

"So, you got turned into a Heartless?" Weiss asked. "How are you still standing here now, if you don't mind?"

"Will used the Heart of Candracar to bring me back," Nick replied.

"So _that_ would explain why there's new and stronger Heartless all over the place," Blake quipped. "Because the darkness is flowing out of the Blue Sky Kingdom's keyhole."

"We didn't mean to drag you guys away from that," Ruby stated.

"See, that's the thing," Haruka admitted. "I thought it would be a lot stronger than it is, but... I think someone's trying to hold the darkness back until we can seal the keyhole."

"So, we figured we'd make use of the time we've got and try to get just a little stronger before we head back to the Blue Sky Kingdom," Maylin continued. "So we'll be ready for whatever we've gotta face."

"And so, we figured this tournament would be the best way to beef ourselves up," Nick finished.

"Well, just activate the tournament whenever you're ready and we'll see how you guys stack up!" Yang laughed.

"Oh, by the way, Yang, I _know_ you're going to be the last opponent, so I call fighting you," Haruka quipped.

"Was it... that obvious?" Yang wondered.

"Kinda," Haruka admitted. "All of the tournament brackets we've fought in have always ended with one of us battling one of you guys. You're the only one we _haven't_ fought yet, Yang, so process of elimination just made it obvious."

"Don't think I'm goin' easy on you," Yang proclaimed.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Haruka stated.

And with that, Nick, Maylin and Haruka walked over to activate the tournament console, selecting the fourth and final option, the Platinum Championship.

The arena changed configurations into a mountain range and a desert plain for the battles to come, and the trio summoned their keyblades.

"Ooh, you got new keyblades?" Ruby gasped.

"Yeah, our old ones were destroyed, but we got new ones soon after that," Maylin quipped. "And oh, I'm gonna enjoy beating these magic nuts down now."

Weiss couldn't help but sweatdrop at Maylin cackling like a madwoman as the tournament bell resounded and the first Heartless group, "Wild Dance", spawned into the arena, consisting of three Wight Knights and four Powerwilds.

"Ooh, haven't seen those monkey boys in a while," Maylin quipped.

One of the Powerwilds leaped through the air to claw at Maylin, but Haruka was over there in a flash, spinning Rumbling Rose like a windmill to bat the monkey back.

Nick felt the Ability Crystal he'd been given by Kiva reacting, and decided to test it out by jumping right over the entire pack of Heartless and spinning around, a magnetic field forming around and drawing all the Heartless nearby into it so that they spun around Nick for a few seconds. When he'd had his fun, Nick threw his hand out and dispelled the magnetic field so that the Heartless were all sent flying in different directions.

"Cool!" Maylin shouted.

"I've had that since Kiva gave it to me," Nick stated. "I'm calling it... Magnet Spiral. Good crowd control option."

With the Wight Knights and Powerwilds scattered as they were, it was easily for the group to dispatch them, and they did when both Nick and Maylin cast Thundara, creating enough lightning bolts for a small storm to destroy their opponents.

The second group, "Outlaws", appeared, consisting of three Bandits and four Pirates, who were similar to the Bandits, only wearing pirate clothes and carrying scimitars instead of regular swords.

"I think this one's all yours, Haruka," Maylin quipped.

"I'd be delighted," Haruka replied, parrying a double strike from a Bandit before spinning Rumbling Rose around her, cutting it down easily.

The remaining two Bandits charged in unison to attack, but Nick simply cast Reflect to bounce the attack back onto the Bandits before shredding them with a Blizzaga, which now shot five large ice crystals in a star formation instead of three.

That just left the Pirates, which Nick easily dealt with by slicing through the air with a Hurricane Period, tearing three Pirates to shreds.

The last remaining Pirate attempted to catch Nick while he was still recovering, but a Firaga ball flew from the teeth of Counterpoint and exploded the Pirate on contact.

"Thanks for the save, Maylin," Nick quipped.

"Don't mention it, buddy!" Maylin giggled.

The trio's attention was put back on the battle when the third group, "Dark Garrison", showed up, consisting of a Defender, three Wight Knights, and two Soldiers.

"Guess mister shield boy's the primary target here," Haruka stated, throwing Rumbling Rose so that it went into a Strike Raid, curving through the air to easily destroy the two Soldiers and one of the Wight Knights.

"If I remember correctly, that big shield of his blocks _everything_ from the front, immune to magic or not," Nick explained. "So we've gotta get behind him if we want to do any damage."

Maylin quickly picked up on this, dodging around a fireball from the Defender before firing a Thunder spell into its back, stumbling it but not enough to defeat it.

Nick leapfrogged over Haruka to reach Maylin's spot, then turned around and began to savage the Defender with an Ars Arcanum, the final strike finishing it off.

This just left the Wight Knights, who Maylin corralled with a Magnet spell so she could finish them with a Blizzaga spell.

"NEXT!" Maylin exclaimed.

The fourth group, "Magic Force", appeared, consisting of a Wizard, two Red Nocturnes, four Yellow Operas, and two Blue Rhapsodies.

Ruby, who was watching excitedly, almost expected Maylin to start groaning, considering she didn't like enemies who were immune to her magic.

To the reaper's surprise, however, Maylin simply procured a few spell coins and went nuts, blasting the Red Nocturnes with a Blizzaga, double-firing Firaga to take out the Blue Rhapsodies, and a Graviga to flatten the the four Yellow Operas so that Haruka could dispatch them easily.

Maylin then turned her attention to the Wizard, blasting it back with a Thunder spell, only for it to retaliate with one of its own. After a gasp of surprise, Maylin jumped to the right to avoid the Wizard's attack.

"Oh, so we're playing _that_ game, eh?" Maylin growled, striking her Firaga spell coin three times in a row, sending three large fireballs into the Wizard's body to finish it off.

"Wow, they're no longer immune to your magic?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Counterpoint's got much more powerful magic than Spellbinder did," Maylin explained. "So _no more_ of this immunity crap!"

Group five, "Sky Raiders", appeared, consisting of four Air Soldiers and three Air Pirates.

"Still hate the flying enemies, though," Maylin groaned, using a Strike Raid to deal with the flyers. "Don't ever want to _stay still_!"

Nick grounded one of the Air Pirates with a quick Thunder spell before leaping over to split it in half with an overhead chop from Oathkeeper. He turned around to see Haruka finishing off two Air Soldiers with a Sonic Blade as they attempted to divebomb her.

The last two Air Pirates began to swoop back and forth, hoping to avoid any incoming attacks.

"Okay, screw this!" Maylin shouted, casting a Stopra spell as the Air Pirates flew close by, freezing them in time so that Maylin could pelt them with magic spells until the Stopra wore off.

"Don't you think that's overkill, Maylin?" Haruka wondered as the sixth group, "Black Flap", appeared, consisting of two Gargoyles, three Air Soldiers, and two Air Pirates.

"Hey, as long as I get results, right?" Maylin quipped, quickly casting another Stopra spell to freeze the entire group in its tracks.

"I mean, I know your coins never run out of juice, but _honestly..._ " Haruka stated as she went to wail on the Heartless while they were frozen.

"That's my incentive to go nuts now that these freaks aren't immune to my main gimmick!" Maylin shot back.

When the Stopra spell wore off, all that remained were the two Gargoyles, who began to fire their glowing projectiles at them. Nick simply batted them back with a swing of Oathkeeper and let their own attacks finish them all.

"This is actually pretty fun," Maylin quipped. "We're so much stronger now that these tough guys are a breeze!"

"Don't let your guard down, Maylin," Haruka retorted as the seventh group, "Night Soarers", appeared, consisting of three Wyverns, two Search Ghosts, and two Wight Knights.

Maylin immediately blasted the three Wyverns with Thundara, keeping them in their spots so Nick could attack with a Strike Raid, cutting down the Wyverns one after the other.

One of the Wight Knights attempted to slash at Haruka, but she ducked under the strike and swept the Wight Knight's legs out, causing it to tumble so she could send it flying out of the arena with a powerful vertical swing.

The Search Ghosts continued to teleport around until Maylin cast a Stopra spell to freeze them in the middle of their teleport, allowing Nick to get in a Thunder spell and take them down.

The last Wight Knight attempted to sneak up on Nick, but Maylin rectified that with a swift horizontal slash from Counterpoint, clearing the round.

"Sorry, mummy boy, hands off my pal," Maylin proclaimed.

Nick switched over to Ethereal Light as the eight group, "Heavy Warriors", appeared, consisting of two Fat Bandits, two Large Bodies, and a Defender.

"Yeah, no," Maylin proclaimed. "Nick, let's screw them over."

"You know it," Nick replied as he and Maylin got into position.

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as the Heartless approached. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Kingdom Key above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Large Bodies flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging the Fat Bandits. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Large Bodies while Nick slammed Kingdom Key into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Fat Bandits as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnet spell to gather the Heartless together. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive the Kingdom Key down in a final attack that spiked the Heartless down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

Only the Defender remained after the attack, though this was quickly rectified by Haruka shoving the Defender's shield upwards so she could attack its body and end it.

"Nice save, huh?" Haruka laughed.

This paved the way for the final group, "The Requiem", to arrive, consisting of two Red Nocturnes, two Blue Rhapsodies, two Yellow Operas, two Green Requiems, two Wizards, and two Pagemasters.

"Oh, _this_ is gonna be all _kinds_ of fun," Maylin quipped, readying a collection of spell coins. "This one's all mine, guys."

Maylin spread out her spell coins so that they all floated in front of her, then she lashed out with Counterpoint, striking all of them in the rhythm of playing a piano, unleashing multiple spells to attack the large group of magic users.

By the time the magical barrage was finished, there were no Heartless survivors remaining.

"WOO!" Maylin shouted. "That's how _I_ take care of business!"

"You must _really_ like going nuts with your magic now, huh?" Yang proclaimed, jumping down from above to land in the arena.

"Well, now that these freaks aren't immune to my magic anymore, I can _finally_ go all out!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Maylin's been like that for a while," Haruka quipped, readying Rumbling Rose for the fight to come. "I usually just let her be. But enough of that. We have a fight to get to, don't we?"

"We certainly do," Yang cackled, loading Ember Celica for battle. "All right, Haruka, come at me with your best shot!"

 **("I Burn" by Casey Lee Williams and Lamar Hall plays)**

Haruka was immediately on the offensive, leaping towards Yang even as the brawler began to fire the Ember Celica. Haruka simply batted the shots away where she could and dodged through the others.

Yang clashed her gauntlets together, sending a powerful double shot towards Haruka, but she simply blocked it with Rumbling Rose before deciding it was time to get up close and personal.

Yang happily accepted the challenge, and lashed out with her gauntlets. Yang Haruka dueled each other seamlessly, switching between physical attacks and short-range bursts, Yang even throwing a few kicks in (Ruby and Blake had been teaching her many kick-based moves at Yang's request). Neither opponent seemed to give any ground, striking out with strong attacks and giving back as good as they got.

Eventually, after Haruka juked to avoid a shot to her chest, Yang reared back to deliver a powerful kick to Haruka's chest, only for her to dodge to the left.

"Surprise!" Haruka proclaimed, slashing out with an overhead chop that pushed Yang back to the edge of the desert plain.

Yang glanced back at her aura gauge; it was down to seventy-five percent. _From one hit? Man, this chick is_ _ **crazy**_ _strong,_ Yang thought.

"Yeah, I'm probably the brute in this trio of ours," Haruka quipped, knowing what Yang was probably thinking. "Maylin's the magic knight, and Nick's somewhere in the middle."

Yang took advantage of the distraction to leap in and deliver a wicked haymaker to the side of Haruka's face, propelling her back towards the rock formations of the mountain.

Recovering quickly, Haruka planted her feet firmly on the edge of the plateau, then kicked off to propel herself back into the arena, slashing at Yang as she passed.

Not intending to waste an opportunity, Haruka began attacking fiercely, landing at least four strikes on Yang before the brawler could retaliate with a short-range explosive shot.

Yang bean firing shot after shot from the Ember Celica, each one striking Haruka in the chest and depleting her "aura" by about two points for each shot, eventually bringing Haruka down to about Yang's level at fifty-five percent aura.

Yang charged up a super shot, hoping to finish the fight quickly, but Haruka recovered quicker than expected and slammed Rumbling Rose straight to the ground, creating an explosion of upheaved rock and granite around her that threw Yang all the way back to the edge of the arena.

"I... gotta admit, Haruka," Yang gasped, catching her breath. "You're the first opponent to give me a real challenge in a while."

"Back at ya," Haruka replied. "You know it's my thrill to fight strong opponents and test my limits."

Haruka stood up fully, raising Rumbling Rose to the sky and closing her eyes. "In fact, you're the first one to ever make me use my special move. Consider yourself honored, Yang, but _don't_ consider yourself lucky, because this fight's over."

Yang wasn't about to let that happen, getting to her feet and charging for full speed for Haruka, hoping to stop her before she could unleash her attack.

But just as Yang was a couple inches from her target, Haruka's eyes snapped open.

"O brilliant blade of coldest steel!" Haruka chanted, dashing forward so fast she seemed to disappear.

Yang skidded to a stop, her lavender eyes raking around for any sight of her opponent, until something whizzed by her at lightning speed and slashed at her.

Haruka continued to attack fiercely, teleporting around Yang with increasing frequency and delivering fierce slashes at every pass, before finishing with an uppercut that knocked Yang into the air.

Not finished yet, Haruka leaped after Yang, appearing just above the brawler.

"Rend the infinite darkness and crush my enemies to nothing!" Haruka shouted, the blade of Rumbling Rose surrounded by light energy, as she swung it downwards, dropping a gigantic comet-shaped burst of light onto Yang's prone form, spiking the brawler back to the ground and creating a massive explosion of light.

Haruka finally landed on the ground and checked Yang's aura level, which was down to eleven percent.

"Dang it, so close..." Haruka sighed. "I thought that would have finished it... just need one more hit to..."

"Oh, Haruka..." Yang called in a sing-song voice, getting to her feet.

 _Uh-oh,_ Haruka thought, every instinct in her body screaming at her to be ready.

"You'll regret not finishing me off, because now you're gonna see my trump card," Yang giggled, crossing her arms across her chest. Haruka clutched Rumbling Rose tightly as Yang's eyes changed from lavender to an almost menacing shade of red. Crimson energy built up around Yang's body until she threw her arms out and bellowed a loud battle cry, activating her semblance and letting her power explode outwards, even forcing Haruka to get a good grip to keep from being blown away by the force alone.

Her fighting spirit renewed, Yang dashed in and threw a powerful right hook that actually broke through Haruka's defenses and sent her sprawling, dropping her "aura" to about thirty-five percent.

Yang continued the beatdown, throwing supercharged attacks one after another and dropping Haruka's "aura" in great chunks.

When Haruka's aura was about at eleven percent, like hers, Yang grinned and prepared to strike the finishing blow...

...only for Haruka to deftly slash upwards with Rumbling Rose.

"What was _that_?" Yang laughed, having barely felt that strike. However, the viewscreen told a different story, as it showed Yang's aura had dropped to nine percent, signaling the end of the fight.

"Aw, _man_!" Yang shouted, her fiery aura fading away. "So close!"

"You had _me_ on the edge, too, Yang," Haruka admitted. "I'm pretty sure one more hit and _I'd_ have been the one who was finished."

"That was pretty cool what you pulled there," Yang stated as her eyes returned to their lavender shade.

"I've been practicing Savage Wolf Fury for a while, but I never found a worthy opponent to test it on," Haruka stated.

"Well, that's all of our tournaments cleared!" Yang exclaimed. "I knew you guys could pull it off. Oh, by the way..."

Yang jogged over to where Nick had just teleported in to hand him a keychain. "This is for you. A present for clearing all four brackets."

Nick accepted the keychain and attached it to the Oathkeeper, watching as the new keyblade flashed to life. The keyblade's handle was covered in blue stripes, its guard was comprised of five gold gears with light blue centers, and a much larger, blue-white and spiked gear was set at the top of the handle. The base and tips of the blade resembled the Amity Coliseum teleportation hubs and were connected by a light red beam that gave off a dim glow, said beam surrounded by a light blue, double-helix structure. The tip of the blade was further decorated by a translucent sphere which emanated the same dim red glow as the blade. A large, golden crown sat off-kilter on the tip of the blade, forming the keyblade's teeth, and the keychain had three gold links that connected to a charm shaped like a small, three-pointed gold crown. The words _Victory Crown_ came to Nick's mind.

"You guys make an _excellent_ team!" Ruby giggled.

"That's because my power comes from my friends," Nick admitted.

"That's right, your friends give you strength," Weiss stated.

"When we stick together, we're unbeatable!" Maylin exclaimed. "If we put our heads together and work as a team, there's nothing we can't accomplish!"

"Here's hoping we can see you guys at the Vytal Festival!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We'll try to wrap up our business just as soon as we can, 'kay?" Maylin stated. "I wouldn't want to miss something like this."

"We'll _definitely_ save you a few seats," Yang proclaimed.

"Oh, by the way, I think this belongs to you, too," Weiss cut in, handing Nick a glowing piece of paper that he immediately recognized as belonging to the Pipo Storybook.

"Just one more page after this," Nick quipped.

"So, where are you guys off to after you fix the Blue Sky Kingdom?" Ruby wondered.

"Well, we're doing a milk run of sorts, because all the worlds are emanating this strange new power..."

As the trio chatted it up with Team RWBY, they had no idea that they were being watched from afar by Cinder. She'd always had a feeling that their plan would go belly up eventually, due to the keyblade wielder's interference.

But Cinder wasn't discouraged. Kusumi-no-Okami had moved on to _that_ barren place, and all she needed was to unite with her avatars and it would be over anyway.

As she thought about how she was going to move her _own_ plan into the next phase, Cinder walked out of the coliseum and warped back to Beacon Academy, eyeing the stars above the whole time.

* * *

As the trio disembarked at the Magic House, Nick easily noticed Kikyo glancing at the storybook, clearly deep in thought.

"Have you found another page?" Kikyo asked.

"Page number four is ready," Nick quipped.

"Hey, Kikyo, what'cha thinking about?" Maylin wondered.

"Just... how much I miss my world," Kikyo answered. "I never got the chance to apologize for the way I treated him, after all..."

"Hey, we'll see him again," Kagome answered, as if she knew what Kikyo was going through. Being that the two of them were from the same world, she most likely did. "Then we can tell him everything."

"You two have someone you love, huh?" Nick asked.

"It's... well, it's a long story," Kagome replied. "We wouldn't want to bore you with the details."

"Do we look like people that get easily bored?" Maylin proclaimed. "We're adventurers! _Nothing_ bores us!"

"How about you all fill me in when I get back?" Nick stated, walking up to the storybook and placing the missing page where it belonged. "I've got some monkeys to catch."

A bright light shined from the storybook, pulling Nick into its pages.

"So... you two got a boyfriend?" Maylin quipped.

"Maylin, seriously..." Haruka groaned.

"Hey, I'm genuinely curious," Maylin countered.

Kikyo sighed and proceeded to tell her story. "Well, it all started a little over fifty years ago..."

Naturally, Nick was ready for the sirens that blared whenever Aki had locked on to a Freaky Monkey Five broadcast area. Nick summoned the Oathkeeper to his hands as Aki walked up.

"We've detected another member of the Freaky Monkey Five," Aki explained. "Yumi's already on her way there, so you should probably go to the scene, too."

"Already on it," Nick replied. "I won't waste your time with explanations on why it's been so long. That can wait until after."

Taking a few steps back to get a running start, Nick dashed into the giant viewscreen, coming out onto what appeared to be a live stage.

Having been through all manner of strange occurrences, Nick simply readied his keyblade as Yumi walked up, scanning the surroundings.

"You getting any weird vibes from this place, Yumi?" Nick wondered.

"I was sure there'd be someone here..." Yumi admitted.

" _Ladies and gentlemen! We are proud to present, the diva of the Freaky Monkey Five!"_

A swirling sphere of pink light sprung to life just ahead of Nick and Yumi, eventually forming into a female monkey wearing a pop idol dress and an Arabian-styled Pipo Helmet.

" _Her beautiful face is enough to drive any monkey wild,"_ the strange announcer proclaimed. _"And now, here she is, in her first musical leading role, Monkey Pink!"_

"HEY, YOU," Monkey Pink growled, setting Nick on edge. "Wait just a minute... you're the ones who took down Yellow, aren't you?!"

"I guess so..." Yumi laughed.

"Good for you," Monkey Pink retorted. "You think you're all that, but I'm sorry to say that there's only room for one at the top."

"...what?" Nick quipped.

"I sing, I dance, I even _act_!" Monkey Pink shouted. "It's only natural that _I_ be there at the top! So, punks, get ready for my first musical, and know that you will never be as great as me!"

Monkey Pink used her telekinetic power to open the curtain on the stage and warp to the front ledge, and opened her mouth to begin singing a song.

Now, Nick had heard some bad singing voices in his time, but this one was just pure ear-grating. It seemed to be affecting Yumi, too, but he perked up when Yumi reached for a microphone in her pocket and began to sing her own song.

Yumi's singing voice resounded in the room, so much more natural and believable than Monkey Pink's horrendous tone-deaf "singing".

Yumi's eyes trained on Nick, then gestured towards Monkey Pink, signaling that he should go on the attack while she sang her song. Nick flashed a thumbs up to Yumi and charged towards Monkey Pink.

"Stupid no-talent punks, always ruining the careers of _real_ singers," Monkey Pink growled, warping to another spot on the stage to avoid Nick's attacks.

"Have you _heard_ yourself?!" Nick shouted, anticipating another warp and leaping over to attack Monkey Pink when she appeared, landing three aerial hits before knocking Monkey Pink back with a Hurricane Period. "You're seriously one of the most tone-deaf singers I've ever laid eyes on! And believe me, I've seen _Uriah_ singing. It's not a pretty sight."

"How _dare_ you mock me!" Monkey Pink exclaimed. "And here I thought you cared about a girl's feelings..."

Monkey Pink had floated closer to Nick during this, hoping to catch him off guard by pretending to have her feelings hurt, but Nick wasn't buying it for a second, blasting Monkey Pink all the way back into the bleachers with a Ripple Drive.

"Nice try," Nick proclaimed. "But crocodile tears don't faze me."

"You are going to _pay_ for insulting me!" Monkey Pink growled, wrenching herself out of the bleachers and throwing lightning bolts at Nick, who simply cast Reflect and watched the bolts bounce harmlessly off.

Nick leaned outside of the barrier and threw Oathkeeper in a Strike Raid, his keyblade spinning through the air and striking Monkey Pink directly in her helmet, causing her to crash to the floor.

Nick didn't waste a second, rushing over just as Yumi finished singing her song to unleash an Ars Arcanum on Monkey Pink's vulnerable form, the final blow sending the wannabe pop star crashing to the ground in front of the actual pop star.

"This... is _not_... the end of my stage career..." Monkey Pink growled. "Just you wait, I'll get my revenge! I SWEAR I WILL!"

"Yumi, if you please?" Nick quipped, and Yumi swung the Monkey Net to finally catch Monkey Pink and silence her horrendous singing. Just outside the nearby window, the Specter TV satellite sitting on the front steps of this venue collapsed into pieces, ending this region's broadcasts.

"Thank goodness, man," Nick groaned. "My poor ears... that chick can't sing for crap..."

"So, I take it my singing's better?" Yumi giggled.

"Oh, _much_ better," Nick stated. "Good idea using your song to drown hers out."

"I figured you didn't want to listen to that ear-destroying madness," Yumi giggled.

"Tell me about it!" Nick exclaimed.

* * *

"Is everything okay, you guys?" Nick asked when he returned from the storybook. Haruka seemed quite shocked, and Maylin... well, she looked like she was ready to kill something.

"Oh, not much," Maylin sarcastically stated. "Just thinking about how much I want to _murder_ this Naraku character after everything he's done!"

"From what I gathered, Naraku, the demon Kagome and her friends have been fighting, was the one who called the Heartless to their world and ultimately wound up destroying it," Haruka explained. "Yet another wacko toying with forces they can't understand."

"And Naraku's responsible for all the heartbreak these two have been through!" Maylin exclaimed. "Just because he wants Kikyo all to himself!"

"Yikes," Nick quipped. "That's gotta be rough."

"I don't know if we'll ever see everyone again," Kagome admitted.

"Well, you might not have to wait for much longer," Nick stated, catching both Kikyo and Kagome's attention. "Once we take down this Izanami-no-Mikoto character, all the worlds that were swallowed by darkness should be restored. And that means you can go back to your world and finish this Naraku creep-o once and for all."

"I believe in you," Kikyo proclaimed. "I have faith in your ability."

"Find that creep and smack her one for me, okay?" Kagome laughed.

"You got it!" Haruka exclaimed as the trio teleported back to the Gummi Ship, ready to continue their adventure.

"Just one more page to go, right?" Maylin asked.

"Yeah, and hopefully that means we can find Specter and put an end to these broadcasts," Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship coasted off.

"So, where's our next destination, guys?" Haruka asked her two passengers.

"Well, as much as I'd like to take care of that 'milk run' at the moment, I think we need to double-time it back to the Blue Sky Kingdom," Nick proclaimed. "Because whoever or whatever's holding all that darkness back can't _possibly_ do it forever. We need to get there and seal that keyhole before another disaster happens."

"Roger that, fearless leader," Haruka quipped, activating the warp drive and teleporting the Gummi Ship to just outside the Principality of Eylstadt so they could move on to their new route back to the Blue Sky Kingdom.

After only a couple minutes of travel, the Lanes Between suddenly began shifting to an ominous shade of black and purple.

"Um... are they supposed to do that?" Maylin wondered.

Several dozen warp holes opened up all around the void, and from the warp holes came large battleships and cruisers, almost resembling an armada.

"Oh, crap, they're bringing out the _big_ guns now, aren't they?!" Maylin shouted.

"Apparently, miss Izanami wants us dead big time," Haruka quipped, hitting the Big Red Button™ and transforming the Gummi Ship into its Highwind Peak mode. "Well, I'm not scared of a stupid armada. So hold on tight, you guys, because _we're going in!_ "

The Gummi Ship fired its engines and sped off into the heart of the Heartless armada that stood between then and the Blue Sky Kingdom.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Victory Crown  
** Strength: 16  
Magic: 9  
Ability: Reaction Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the fierce will of a strong tournament competitor. Holds formidable strength and will occasionally deal extremely powerful critical blows. Increases damaged done by Reaction Command attacks by 50%._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Well, guys, we're going back to the Blue Sky Kingdom next time!

Haruka: But this time, we'll be ready for anything.

Nick: We're the only ones who can seal the keyhole there and stop all this unchecked darkness from swallowing all the other worlds.

Maylin: But, um, what is _that_ monstrosity?!

Haruka: It's just the Monster of the Week.

Maylin: IT'S FREAKING GIGANTIC! I wouldn't have been surprised if that thing turns out to be the Hulk in disguise or something!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Return to Darkness"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	16. Return to Darkness

"This is nuts! Why does the bitch wait until _now_ to throw the big guns at us?!" Maylin exclaimed as the Gummi Ship continued to weave through the airships and starships and cruisers that made up a Heartless armada, all of its ships primed to stop the trio from returning to the Blue Sky Kingdom.

"We might have a problem," Nick quipped, pointing towards an enormous battle station just off their port side. "I don't think we'll be able to get past that thing, even with all of this speed."

Haruka, in response, just smiled. "Then how about we go _through_ it?"

Haruka opened fire on a weaker piece of hull plating on the station, blowing it off and leaving a hole just large enough for the Gummi Ship to slip through and enter the station.

Knowing speed wouldn't help here, Haruka switched the Gummi Ship to its Falcon Peak Mode and prepared for whatever was about to happen.

The Gummi Ship continued to bank around sharp corners, through tunnels and access ports, and even around what appeared to be a docking bay for more Heartless ships.

"This thing is unbelievable," Maylin quipped. "It's like a dang Death Star..."

After flying through a few more rooms and destroying various platoons of Heartless ships along the way, the Gummi Ship eventually entered what appeared to be the station's core generator.

"Finally! Let's blow this sucker to pieces!" Maylin exclaimed as the Gummi Ship began to fire on the core, which put up a square-shaped glass barrier to protect itself. Even with the maximized firepower in the Falcon Peak mode, it took a good few circuits around the core for the barrier to start cracking.

After three more circuits, the barrier shattered into shards of glass, leaving the core defenseless. Haruka lifted her fist and clenched it tightly.

"Chew on _this!_ " Haruka shouted, firing off a Falcon Cannon blast that tore the core into shards of light and created explosions that began to rock everything around them.

"Good enough! NOW LET'S BEAT IT!" Maylin exclaimed as the Gummi Ship exited the station by once again blasting through nearby hull plating and slipping back out into the Lanes Between just in time. The battle station began to break apart and fall to the bottom of the void, disintegrating into myriad explosions as it did so.

"And _down_ goes the Death Star!" Maylin proclaimed as the Gummi Ship flew away from the armada and continued on a direct path to the Blue Sky Kingdom, which was surrounded by a large dark vortex.

"We're running out of time," Nick stated. "Let's get down there _right stat now_."

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Our heroic trio has returned to the Blue Sky Kingdom to seal the keyhole before the darkness billowing from the keyhole devours all worlds. Hopefully the second trip won't be so bad, as Kusumi-no-Okami seems to have fled to another world. But what nightmares will come from the depths of darkness to stop our heroes from sealing the keyhole?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note:** The Aloha Pretty Cures, Cure Sunset and Cure Wave, are an actual team that showed up in episode 28 of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure when the team went to Hawaii. The reason they show up in this chapter is because they're my favorite of Happiness Charge's international Cures, and apparently the fans liked them a lot, too, because they got their own _theme song_ on the Vocal Best album, and they... okay, I'll stop fanboying now. ONE MORE THING: Some of the International Cures will have fan-made names by me, because we don't know some of their individual names, only their team names. 'kay? Good.

* * *

Episode 16: Return to Darkness

AS the trio disembarked at the Rising Falls, Nick was the first to look down towards the lands surrounding the castle.

To put it bluntly, it was absolute chaos. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were panicking, fleeing for their lives from the onslaught of powerful Heartless that rampaged unchecked through the lands.

At many different areas, powerful explosions of light and magic could be seen, no doubt the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures fighting off the Heartless as best they could.

While Heartless were sent flying every which way by their attacks, more Heartless continued to spawn for each one that was taken down.

"We need to get back to the throne room and seal that keyhole before it's too late," Nick proclaimed, summoning the Oathkeeper to his hands. "I have no clue how much longer the Pretty Cures can hold up down there."

"Hey, I think there's someone up there by the lift," Haruka stated, pointing to two figures standing by the lift platform to the castle.

Cure Sunset and Cure Wave just stood there, shocked and horrified at the calamity befalling the Blue Sky Kingdom. No matter which way they had turned after arriving from the Embassy, they were accosted by Heartless at every turn.

"W-what's happening, Wave?" Cure Sunset gasped. "I thought those jerks who froze Hawaii were bad enough, but this... _this_..."

"I know, sis," Cure Wave replied, hugging her sister tightly. "The other Cures are fighting as hard as they can."

"Wave, do you see just how many of those things there are?" Cure Sunset exclaimed.

Cure Wave would have responded if she hadn't noticed Nick walking up to them, his keyblade out and ready for action.

"Somebody call the Heartless exterminators?" Maylin proclaimed as she and Haruka caught up to Nick.

"Maylin, _seriously_ ," Haruka groaned.

"Hey, you're the teenagers that Blue told us about, right?" Cure Sunset wondered. "The ones who wield the keyblade?"

"I'm sure you've noticed the chaos," Cure Wave stated. "And I figured you guys wouldn't give up just because of all the Heartless..."

"You're actually right," Nick replied. "We had to go a different route to come back here, but we're going back to the castle so we can seal the keyhole before the world is swallowed by darkness."

"Here's hoping it's not too late," Cure Sunset stated.

"You may need our strength, so we'll go with you," Cure Wave proclaimed.

And with that, the five heroes took the lift platform back to the Blue Sky Castle, where, as expected, hordes of Heartless were crawling about.

"Should have figured," Nick groaned.

"Bring it on, freak shows!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint and casting Thundaga, destroying some Darkballs and stunning the hardier ones like the Defenders and Wyverns.

Maylin continued to cast Thundaga as the group advanced, clearing a path through the hordes so they could reach the front gates without any problems.

"Back off!" Nick shouted, unleashing a Strike Raid to cut down a sneaky Wyvern who was attempting to attack from a higher altitude.

Cure Sunset and Cure Wave pulled the doors shut behind them, and the group made their way to the Entrance Hall.

"Stay alert, girls," Maylin quipped. "We know _exactly_ what happened last time we were here."

" _Forget it! You're not getting into my head anymore!"_

Nick shuddered at the thought that this may be the last time he'd ever see his sister again, due to Kusumi-no-Okami taking full control of their shared body.

Nick hadn't told anyone this, but after he'd become a Heartless, he'd seen Kusumi-no-Okami reassert her control and vanish into the darkness. What little of his mind hadn't been swallowed by the darkness could only cry out for his only remaining family.

 _I'll get you for that, you bitch,_ Nick thought. _Just you wait._

"Hey, I think I saw someone go into the library," Haruka quipped. "Let's go check it out."

Upon entering the library, the sound of someone jumping caught everyone's attention.

"Hold it right there!" Nick shouted, summoning the Oathkeeper and pointing it straight towards the strange figure.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm on your side!" the figure exclaimed, stepping out from the shadows to reveal another Pretty Cure like the others they'd seen.

"Hey, how'd _you_ get here, Southern Cross?" Cure Sunset asked.

"Blue sent all the Pretty Cures from around the world that he could," Cure Southern Cross answered. "He managed to save most of us before our world was consumed by the darkness."

"It's all of you guys, isn't it?" Nick gasped, coming to a realization. "All of the international Cures from your world. _You're_ the ones holding the darkness back, aren't you?"

"Nailed it," Cure Southern Cross admitted. "But we don't know how much longer we can hold it back, so you guys need to seal the keyhole before it's too late."

Cure Southern Cross walked up and handed Nick a keychain. "Here, this is for you. Use it to face the darkness as we have."

Nick attached the keychain to his keyblade and watched it transform. This new weapon was similar in shape to the Kingdom Key, though was black and had a longer reach. The hilt guard was comprised of two bat-like wings extending downward, the teeth were in the shape of the Japanese kanji for "darkness", the keychain's token was a black crown and a chain-like design ran up the length of the blade. The heart-shaped diamond in its hilt also resembled the heart seen on many of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures' brooches. The word _Oblivion_ came to Nick's mind.

"It won't be much longer," Nick proclaimed. "We're not letting the darkness overrun this world."

"And if you see any of the others, make sure they're all right, okay?" Cure Southern Cross proclaimed. "We've all gotta stick together."

"So true," Cure Sunset stated. "We're gonna stick with Southern Cross and try to find the others."

"If you see any of them, send them here to the Library," Cure Wave replied. "You guys just go and seal that keyhole!"

And so began the long trek back to the Castle Chapel. It was slightly easier to get around now that the castle's most difficult puzzles had already been solved, but the long journey back up still seemed to wear on the trio.

"Seriously, who the heck designed this castle?!" Maylin shouted as she cast Graviga to bring a pack of Wyverns down to them. "It's like they _wanted_ people to get lost and confused while trying to get around!"

"I think it's a security measure," Haruka answered, cutting down another Defender who tried to ambush her from behind. "I've seen teleportation hubs around the castle, but not a single one of them is active right now. I'm willing to bet it was a security measure when the darkness first showed up here."

"And after everything this kingdom's been through, I'm willing to accept that they'd be a little paranoid," Nick admitted. "I'd probably be the same way."

As they rode a larger lift platform up to the very top of the castle, Maylin was the first to notice that Nick seemed rather sad.

"Hey, what's up, buddy?" Maylin wondered.

"I just... I don't know if I'm ever going to see Marie again," Nick stated. "After I saw her disappear, I realized that if Kusumi-no-Okami took full control of her body, I..."

"Don't."

"W-what?"

"I _said_ , don't say that," Maylin quipped, walking over to hug Nick tightly. "We'll get her back, no matter _what_ we have to do. I _promise_ you that, Nick."

"So do I," Haruka repeated, joining in with the group hug. "We're your friends, Nick. And as your friends, we're not gonna stand for that kind of injustice. Remember what we said to you before? We wouldn't be very good friends if we just left you to drown in despair."

Nick couldn't help but let a few tears fall, reaching out to hug his friends. "You two are so sweet to me..."

"Of course we are!" Maylin exclaimed. "We're best buds for life, after all! And nothing, I repeat, _nothing_ is _ever_ gonna come between us!"

"Ditto to that," Haruka laughed. "I really couldn't have said it better myself."

Maylin looked up to smile at Nick before kissing him on the cheek. "I love ya, man!"

Blushing slightly at Maylin's forwardness didn't stop Nick from tightening his hold on his friends, as if letting go would separate them for good. "I... I love you, too, buddy."

"Now let's go to the throne room and put a stop to this nightmare," Haruka proclaimed.

"HELL YEAH!" Nick and Maylin shouted together.

The trio stepped off of the platform, summoning their keyblades and crossing through the Lift Stop one last time to reach the Castle Chapel where they had previously defeated Red.

"Ah, memories, huh?" Maylin giggled.

"Whoa, there's a lot of people here all of a sudden," Haruka noted, gazing at the figures scattered across the chapel.

"Hey, I think it's more of the International Cures," Nick realized. "Let's see if they know something about what's going on."

Sure enough, all of the Pretty Cures present snapped their gazes onto the trip when they walked closer.

"We've been waiting for you, keyblade bearers," Cure Nile proclaimed.

"Is Kusumi-no-Okami still here?" Maylin asked.

Cure Nile shook her head, trying to keep that memory from surfacing again.

The Bomber Girls Pretty Cure, America's team, were the first to speak up. "When we saw the keyhole open again, the darkness just swallowed her up, and she vanished," Cure Sherriff, the Bomber Girls' leader, stated.

"We all gathered here to hold the darkness back, but it won't be much longer before we can no longer stop it," Cure Feather proclaimed.

"I _really_ wanna forget her face when she vanished," Cure Cowboy gasped. "That wicked smile... Yeesh, I felt like that smile _alone_ took a few years off of my life."

"You wanna know what's strange, though?" Cure Earl, the French Cure, asked. "I don't think she's ever coming back to this world."

"She's probably headed off to some other place to merge with her vessels," Haruka stated. "But I think we'd all be screwed if she did that right away. I have this odd feeling _she's_ waiting for _us_ to find _her_..."

"That's troubling," Cure Continental, England's Cure, replied. "Why does she wait?"

"She probably wants to get rid of us before she does anything else," Maylin stated. "We've been a real thorn in her side, after all."

Suddenly, a powerful pulse of dark energy washed over the chapel room, nearly bringing the Cures to their knees.

"What was _that_?!" Nick exclaimed.

"We do not have much time left," Cure Nile proclaimed. "You have to seal the keyhole right away. The darkness is growing ever stronger."

That was all the reason the trio needed to rush through the hallway, through the Lift Stop, and back into the Grand Hall, which was flooded with Neoshadows, no doubt crawling out of the vortex that led to the keyhole.

"Move it, freak boys!" Maylin exclaimed, casting a Thundaga spell to clear a path, though more Neoshadows spawned in their place. "Oh, come _on_ with this bunk!"

Nick inwardly decided he'd had enough, switching to World System and unleashing an Ars Arcanum, plowing through the swarm in mere seconds with each strike.

"Get out of our way!" Nick growled, spinning around to avoid a Neoshadow's claw slash before attacking with Sonic Blade, swiftly clearing a path for Maylin and Haruka to follow him to the throne room itself.

The vortex that Kusumi-no-Okami had left through had grown larger since they'd last seen it, dark lightning crackling around its edges as Neoshadows continued to crawl out of the portal.

"Well, this is it, you guys," Nick proclaimed. "Let's go and seal that keyhole."

"Roger!" Maylin and Haruka responded, following Nick into the portal and coming out the other side into the Dark Depths, a tunnel of muted colors and swirling light that resembled a hyperspace tunnel.

"Oof, this place is trippy," Maylin quipped. "Do any of you see the keyhole?"

"Just up ahead!" Haruka exclaimed.

Before they could even take a step towards the keyhole, a gigantic Heartless dropped down from the sky and landed with earth-shaking steps. The creature, a large and purple-scaled dragon with wickedly tough skin and two great, curved horns, looked derisively down at the trio before roaring its challenge, stalking slowly around and watching for any incoming moves.

"Oh, crap, we have to fight a _dragon_ now?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

"We've fought worse, honestly," Haruka admitted, summoning Rumbling Rose.

"All right, let's put this thing down!" Nick shouted, switching back to Oathkeeper.

The Fafnir growled in dissent, swinging its arms and slicing its wickedly-sharp claws through the air.

Maylin and Haruka split off to both sides of Fafnir to look for weak spots while Nick faced the great dragon head on.

Fafnir gazed down at Nick, its sharp yellow eyes studying him.

"Yeah, I'm looking at you, ugly," Nick taunted. "Let's tango."

Fafnir snapped its jaws down at Nick, who cast Reflect to block the attack before leaping in to slash at Fafnir's underbelly. To his surprise, though, he hadn't done much damage at all.

"Any luck back there, you guys?" Nick called to his friends.

"Not a damn thing!" Maylin called back, firing off a Blizzaga spell, only for it to harmlessly fizzle out against Fafnir's tough hide. "His skin's too tough to break through!"

"There's gotta be a weak point on this thing somewhere," Haruka stated, performing an overhead chop only to have the strike bounce off.

As Fafnir reared its head back to chomp at Nick again, Nick quickly fired off a Thunder spell against Fafnir's head, the blast striking the beast's horns and driving it back a few steps.

"Girls, I found the weak point!" Nick exclaimed. "It's his horns! That seems to be the only place we can reliably damage it!"

"All right, then let's break 'em off!" Haruka laughed, jumping off of Nick's shoulders to get enough height to slash at Fafnir's horns a few times, causing the dragon to roar in outrage and swing its head, the sharp horns knocking Haruka back to whatever was the ground in this trippy realm.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, wing boy!" Maylin shouted, casting Graviga to force Fafnir to its knees so Nick could unleash an Ars Arcanum on Fafnir's horns, actually causing them to crack in a few places.

Haruka quickly recovered before hopping up to Fafnir's back much like Nick had done against Red's dragon form and firing off one Strike Raid after another against the horns, relatively safe from anything Fafnir could do to her.

After a few minutes of this three-pronged attack, Fafnir decided it was finished playing nice and roared so loudly that it echoed throughout the Dark Depths, creating flashes of lightning around its body that sent all three keyblade wielders sprawling.

"Ouchies... that hurt..." Maylin groaned, trying to get back to her feet when she saw Fafnir spin around to face her, murderous intent flashing in its eyes.

Nick saw Fafnir round on Maylin, and that was all the incentive he needed to rush in and attack.

Fafnir sliced outwards, intending to skewer Maylin on the points of its razor claws, only for Nick to slide in front of its path.

As Nick raised Oathkeeper to parry the strike, Fafnir's claws clashed against it, the two attacks locked in a stalemate.

But Fafnir wasn't intimidated, pushing its claws forward so that Nick was forced to his knees, keeping up all the pressure he could give to keep those claws from impaling him or Maylin.

"Come on, come on!" Nick growled, struggling to keep Oathkeeper up under the unrelenting push of Fafnir's claws. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"

Fafnir whipped its tail out and struck Nick's left shoulder, almost making him lose his grip against the claws.

With only one hand able to hold Oathkeeper up and his strength waning, Nick realized that he was most likely about to be skewered.

 _Nick, don't give up!_

Before Nick could question the origin of that voice, a bright flash caught his attention. Willing to venture a gaze downward, Nick was shocked to see that Oblivion had materialized in his free hand. And he was still wielding Oathkeeper with his right hand.

Maylin sprung into action herself, casting Curaga, her Cure spell's final form, to heal Nick's damaged shoulder so he could lift both keyblades easily.

Fafnir backed up slightly, as if fearful of what Nick could now do with two keyblades at once.

"Oh, yeah, you're gonna regret it now, dragon breath," Nick proclaimed, brandishing both Oathkeeper and Oblivion and rushing in to attack.

Fafnir again chomped at Nick, but he easily deflected the strike with both keyblades before slamming Oblivion down hard on its head to knock it down and leave the horns exposed.

Nick immediately went on the offensive, attacking with a left slash with Oathkeeper, then a right slash with Oblivion, followed by a spinning attack with both keyblades. Nick continued his attack with an upward slash with Oathkeeper, a downward spike with Oblivion, and finishing the combo with a double forward thrust, digging into the horns like a drill.

Fafnir reared back and roared, but Nick leaped into the air and pressed the attack with two quick slashes to either side followed by a somersaulting attack with both keyblades, creating more cracks in the horns.

Fafnir attempted to lash out with its razor-sharp tail again, but Nick was ready this time, casting Reflect to block the strike before casting a Thunder spell from both keyblades, sending two lightning bolts out to strike Fafnir's horns, causing the dragon to slump to the ground in defeat.

Nick rushed in with one final flurry of attacks before finishing with an X-strike, bringing both keyblades down across each other to deliver the final blow, breaking the horns off of Fafnir's head and causing it to roar in agony as it dissolved into particles of darkness, a large heart floating away from its remains before disappearing itself.

Nick crossed both keyblades over each other in a victory pose before glancing back at Maylin and Haruka, surprised to see their shocked expressions.

"What? Was I too cheesy with that pose?" Nick wondered.

"Holy _crap_ , Nick, you can dual-wield?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Is... is that some kind of special ability?" Nick asked.

Haruka shook her head. "All the keyblade wielders I've ever seen always used only one keyblade," Haruka explained. "Though they can use multiple keychains like you can, they can typically only wield one keyblade at a time. I've _never_ seen a keyblade wielder who could wield two keyblades at once..."

"To be honest, I just heard a voice in my head telling me not to give up, and then I somehow summoned the other keyblade," Nick replied, looking down at Oblivion in his left hand, then Oathkeeper in his right. "I'm not gonna question it, especially not if it helps me protect my friends..."

Before the group could say anything more about Nick's new ability to dual wield, a powerful pulse washed over the Dark Depths.

"Okay, we can discuss this when we're not in mortal danger," Haruka proclaimed. "Let's go seal that keyhole!"

With that, the trio rushed over to the edge of the Dark Depths, where a large Heartless symbol could be seen over a dangerously-pulsing keyhole.

Nick raised the Oathkeeper and fired a beam of light into the keyhole, causing the darkness flowing from it to vanish completely. A loud 'CLICK' resounded, and the keyhole disappeared along with the Heartless symbol surrounding it.

"That should do it," Nick proclaimed.

"You guys _rock_!"

Nick spun around and gazed back to the entrance of the Dark Depths, where Cure Princess could be seen peeking through the vortex.

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka walked back through the vortex to reach the throne room, where all five members of Happiness Charge Pretty Cure were waiting. The instant that no one remained in the Dark Depths, the vortex shimmered and shrank until it was completely gone, not a single trace remaining.

"We seriously can't thank you all enough," Cure Fortune stated. "Now that the keyhole's been sealed, we just might be able to take this kingdom back from the Heartless."

"And with Red defeated, all we've really gotta do is wait for you guys to beat the bad guy and we can finally go home!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"So, what are you guys gonna do in the meantime?" Maylin asked.

"We've decided to stay in the Blue Sky Kingdom," Cure Lovely answered. "Just because the keyhole's been sealed and the darkness put in check doesn't mean the Heartless are going to go away. I guess as long as darkness exists in a single heart, the Heartless may never be permanently defeated..."

"Then we'll just keep on fighting until everyone's heart is full of light, no matter how long that takes us!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Well said," Cure Honey giggled. "It's so weird that Kusumi-no-Okami believes that darkness is truly the source of all power."

"What a load of nonsense!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"Darkness can shroud the light, but it can never extinguish the light," Cure Tender proclaimed.

"Will you guys be okay on your own?" Haruka asked.

"We can handle things here," Cure Fortune replied. "Besides, we've got all of our international Pretty Cure friends as our backup, just in case we need them."

"Besides, you guys have stuff to do, right?" Cure Princess giggled.

"Oh, yeah! We still haven't gone on our milk run!" Maylin exclaimed.

"And we may as well spend some time exploring, since I can't lock on to that strange anomaly at the moment," Haruka stated. "Maybe once we explore some more, we'll be able to go to that world."

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Nick stated.

"Hey, hey, don't act like we're never gonna see each other again," Cure Lovely stated. "It's merely... 'see you later'."

Nick waved to the Pretty Cures as Haruka activated the teleporters to take the trio back to the Gummi Ship.

"Well, that was a hoot and a half," Maylin giggled. "But it looks like all that darkness has gone away now."

Indeed, the Lanes Between had returned to their normal shades of light blue and violet, with no sign of the oppressive dark shades that had marred their recent journeys.

"So, I guess all we can do now is keep exploring the worlds until I can get a lock on that strange signal," Haruka stated.

"Well, guys, what are we waiting for? Let's go on our milk run already!" Maylin exclaimed.

Haruka just smiled at her partner's anticipation as she activated the warp drive to bring them back to Traverse Town so they could set off in the order they'd first visited each world.

"All right, let's embark!" Haruka proclaimed, and the Gummi Ship coasted off once again.

Meanwhile, Kusumi-no-Okami continued to pace through the Crossroads, still waiting for her full power to return, as the crystals were slowly draining their captured power back into her body.

"It will not be much longer now," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "When they arrive to find me, I will unite and I will teach them the price of opposing me."

Suddenly, Kusumi-no-Okami stumbled, breathing heavily and clutching her chest as if in pain. "W-what? You again?"

Kusumi-no-Okami summoned the Dark Keyblade to her free hand.

"You still resist me?" Kusumi-no-Okami growled. "Just give it up..."

Kusumi-no-Okami dropped to her knees as the pulses grew stronger.

"I must complete the ritual soon," Kusumi-no-Okami gasped, somehow managing to stand on her own two feet again. "I do not know how this foolish girl still manages to resist me, but I will not stand for it."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Oblivion  
** Strength: 14  
Magic: 8  
Ability: Magic Wall  
 _A keyblade representing the lost memories that promise to return. Possesses colossal power, but reduces max MP by 1. Automatically reduces all magic-based damage by 50% in a critical situation._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Well, we're exploring again!

Haruka: By that, she means we're going back and revisiting all the worlds we've been to on this journey to see if there's anything different about them since what happened at the Blue Sky Kingdom.

Nick: And once we're done with all of that, we're going to find whatever world Kusumi-no-Okami is hiding out on, and then we're ending this once and for all.

Maylin: And considering that some worlds are hiding some extremely powerful enemies, it's gonna be a good test of our skills to see if we're ready by the time the final battle approaches!

Nick: I don't care what that freak has up her robe, I'm not losing Marie again!

Maylin: Spoken like a true hero, buddy! Now let's go kick some ass!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Tying Up Loose Ends"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	17. Tying Up Loose Ends

Nick gazed out at the Lanes Between, now able to completely see the road the three of them had traveled for what seemed like forever.

The lanes connected each large structure that represented a world by glowing paths of light, almost giving the lanes the impression that it was really just a map of the worlds they'd visited.

Traverse Town, the interdimensional waystation. Beacon Academy, the combat school. Tower 47, the waypoint of the future. The Midnight Channel, humanity's repressed desires. Rainbow Hills, the frontier of happy endings. Scuttle Town, the land of magic and pirates. The Imperial Capital, home front of a revolution. The Canopy Kingdom, a world of temporary peace. The Principality of Eylstadt, a kingdom protected by the faithful White Witch. Candracar, the defender of the dimensions. And the Blue Sky Kingdom, former gateway to the depths of darkness.

Though the lanes did get slightly darker in shade near and around the Blue Sky Kingdom, it was nowhere near as bad as it had been recently while the kingdom's keyhole was open.

"It's pretty awe-inspiring, isn't it?" Maylin giggled.

"Now that I can see them all clearly, no kidding," Nick stated.

"And this is just a _fraction_ of all the worlds that exist out there," Haruka responded. "Who knows how many more we'll find if we keep journeying?"

"We'll end this soon, and we can all get our homes back," Nick proclaimed.

"Yeah, and you can finally go on that date with Cornelia," Maylin giggled.

Even after all this time, Maylin still got a kick out of making Nick blush.

"All right, everybody, let's do this," Haruka stated. "Beacon Academy, dead ahead."

The Gummi Ship parked in front of Beacon Academy, ready to see if anything had changed there since the Blue Sky Kingdom.

And just beyond the Blue Sky Kingdom, where nothing in the void could be seen, something began to stir.

On a road not traveled for millenia...

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick, Maylin, and Haruka are off on an exploration run, revisiting all the worlds they've been to in order to see what has changed about them since the events of the Blue Sky Kingdom. Along the way, three extremely powerful enemies will surface to challenge them. Can they take down these enemies and discover where Kusumi-no-Okami is hiding?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 17: Tying Up Loose Ends

"Seriously, do you think Cardin and his jerk squad are _ever_ gonna learn?" Maylin groaned as the trio disembarked into the city of Tower 47. Beacon Academy hadn't changed much, aside from the whole school preparing for the Vytal Festival.

"You'd think after that time she actually fought back," Nick quipped. " _Especially_ when she brought out what was, for all intents and purposes, a freakin' _keyblade_!"

"I'm surprised she could do that, actually," Haruka stated. The trio had learned via that scuffle what Velvet actually did with her camera, which was taking pictures of people to wield hard-light copies of their weapons, which meant that, since Velvet had taken a picture of Nick, she could wield a copy of his keyblade.

"Let's focus on the now, then," Nick proclaimed.

"Hey, guys!"

The trio spun around and saw Mira running towards them, with Kyoma following closely behind.

"I _knew_ you'd be back!" Mira exclaimed, throwing herself at Nick so she could hug him.

"We promised, didn't we?" Nick laughed, immediately sending a glare at Maylin to keep her from teasing him. He'd been through that story already.

"What are you two doing out so late?" Maylin wondered.

"We're on the clock," Mira answered. "Mary sent us out to investigate a strange disturbance. The tower's sensors believe it may be energy from Dimension W that could be leaking into our world."

"Sounds like trouble," Haruka stated. "We'll tag along, then. I'm sure we don't want a repeat of last time, after all, do we?"

And so, the entire group set out for the source of the disturbance, eventually coming across an abandoned alleyway that, for some odd reason, was littered with seemingly inactive coils.

"Whoa, what's with all the coils?" Nick wondered. "Who'd just leave them lying around like they were trash or something?"

Kyoma studied the coils for a few seconds, noticing that many of them were actually active.

"That counts enough to be suspicious," Kyoma stated. "If they're illegal coils, we need to destroy them before they can overload."

Nick walked over to pick one of the coils off of the ground, but stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a pulse of darkness wash over the area.

"Oh, that can't be good," Nick quipped.

Nick's suspicions were confirmed when all of the scattered coils began to move with a will of their own, spinning around the bleak alleyway until they all shot to the opposite end of the alley, converging on specific points as a dimensional rift opened, allowing a strange beast to push its way through and attach the coils to various parts of its body. The beast spread its arms out, and a wall of energy formed on both sides of it.

"What the hell is _that_ thing?!" Kyoma exclaimed.

Nick cast a glance back at where they had all entered the alleyway, and saw another wall of energy had formed there, essentially trapping the group.

"I have a feeling we need to beat this thing before it can push us into that wall," Nick quipped, summoning the Oathkeeper to his hands. "Otherwise... well, I don't think you'd wanna know."

"Well, then let's get to work!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

The Dimension Wall began to advance, its bulky arms occasionally swiping out to deter any incoming attacks.

"All right, freak boy, let's see how you like this!" Maylin exclaimed, casting a Thunder spell to strike the Dimension Wall in its chest, forcing it back a few feet.

Nick immediately rushed in, swinging a few times and noticing how the Dimension Wall backed up slightly with each hit it took.

"Hey, everyone, I think I've got it!" Nick exclaimed. "We need to push this thing back into the rift it came from!"

"Ooh, I _love_ puzzle bosses!" Maylin shouted, casting Thundara on the Dimension Wall and knocking it back again. The Dimension Wall didn't take too kindly to this, slamming its fists to the ground and sending geysers of energy at the group.

Mira kicked off of a nearby wall to avoid the attack, noting the lack of any real space to dodge in this cramped alley.

The Dimension Wall roared in challenge, lashing out with a one-two punch combo that Nick parried before countering with an upward slash. After hopping back to avoid another energy geyser attack, Nick cast Blizzaga, stunning the Dimension Wall and causing it to slump to the ground.

"All right, pour it on!" Nick shouted, and the trio went to work, laying into the Dimension Wall with everything they could.

After about ten seconds, the Dimension Wall picked itself up, its strength returning, and lashed out with a vicious haymaker, forcing Maylin to cast Reflect to avoid getting hurt.

Once more, the Dimension Wall began to advance, now firing spheres of darkness from its hands to keep its attackers at bay.

Kyoma started attacking with his throwing needles, flinging them out on their strings like claws and imbedding themselves into the Dimension Wall's face so Kyoma could reel himself in and kick the Dimension Wall in the back of the head, sending the creature reeling.

"Hand over those coils!" Kyoma shouted.

"I don't think it's gonna let go of 'em until we take it down, so hold your shorts, 'kay?" Maylin quipped, blasting the Dimension Wall with a Firaga spell.

Haruka ducked under another right hook from the Dimension Wall and slammed Rumbling Rose into the ground, creating a pink shockwave that knocked the Dimension Wall towards the rift it had come from.

After a few more attacks, the Dimension Wall collapsed to the ground, once again dazed enough for the trio to start attacking again.

But once more it pulled itself together and continued its advance.

"Dang it, this isn't getting us anywhere!" Maylin shouted, dodging more energy geysers.

"We're never gonna beat this thing if it keeps getting up no matter how many times we smack it down!" Haruka growled, parrying a haymaker before leaping back to unleash a Strike Raid on the beast.

"I think knocking it back into the rift is the only way we're gonna beat it," Nick proclaimed. "So I think it's time we step it up."

Nick raised his free hand, summoning Oblivion to it and brandishing both keyblades before attacking the Dimension Wall rapidly, noticing that it was pushed back further with each hit due to Nick's dual-wielding.

After a couple flurries of rapid-fire attacks, Nick finished the combo with an X-Strike, sending the Dimension Wall flying back into the rift, which began to close around it.

"Yes!" Maylin exclaimed, only to see the Dimension Wall attempt to force the rift back open. "Oh, that just isn't _fair_ , you idiot!"

Mira dashed forward, dodging around Nick and aiming straight for the Dimension Wall, throwing a wicked right hook straight into its face and pushing it all the way into the rift. Nick aimed Oathkeeper for the rift and fired a beam of light into it, causing the rift to close completely and the coils the Dimension Wall had used to clatter to the ground, still active but no longer posing a threat.

"Whew, now _that_ was an ordeal!" Maylin sighed.

"Tell me about it," Haruka replied, walking over to pick up the coils that had been left behind and hand them off to Kyoma. "I believe these are yours, spiky."

Kyoma said nothing, merely taking the coils and stuffing them into his pocket.

"Oh, don't mind Kyoma," Mira giggled. "He just hasn't had a good day, that's all."

"In this business, I'd believe it," Nick replied.

"Hey, what's that?" Haruka gasped, pointing towards something that had fallen from where the Dimension Wall had been earlier. Nick inspected the strange sight and noticed what appeared to be a fragment of a key lying on the ground.

"It looks like... part of a key," Nick quipped.

"It actually kinda looks like a keyblade, now that I'm seeing it up close," Maylin stated.

"We should probably hold onto it for now," Haruka replied. "I think it's gonna come in handy soon."

"Well, I guess it's time to move on," Maylin quipped.

"Aw, you're leaving already?" Mira sighed.

"We're moving around the different worlds to see what's changed since the Blue Sky Kingdom," Nick answered. "I guess we figured out this place."

"Stop on by anytime! You're _always_ welcome here!" Mira laughed.

"Don't let mister grumpy keep ya down, okay?" Maylin proclaimed. "If he does, call us and we'll stomp him!"

Kyoma glared at Maylin, killing intent palpable in his expression.

"Calm down, dude, I'm joking!" Maylin shot back. "Seriously, guy, get a sense of humor..."

* * *

"That was fun," Maylin quipped as the trio returned to the Gummi Ship. "But too short of a trip, honestly. We really should have stayed longer!"

"I get the feeling that Kyoma doesn't really like me," Nick stated. "Since I'm so protective of Mira, and he apparently doesn't like her, he thinks I'm stupid."

"Yeah, I noticed mister grumpy glaring at you when Mira glomped you back there," Maylin giggled. "He looked like he was about five seconds from dropping you dead!"

"I dare him to try it," Nick proclaimed. "I'd show him a thing or two."

Haruka was silent, studying the key fragment they'd acquired from defeating the Dimension Wall. Indeed, it was just the teeth of some sort of keyblade. Where exactly had it come from, though?

 _I know I've seen this keyblade before. But where?_ Haruka thought. _Does it... does it have something to do with that anomaly? ...no, that can't be._

Maylin looked back at the Lanes Between, only to see something flying around the Principality of Eylstadt.

"Um, what's with that grim reaper-looking thing-a-ma-thing?" Maylin wondered.

"Only one way to find out," Haruka replied, setting the fragment down and piloting the Gummi Ship towards the Principality of Eylstadt, putting the strange thought out of her mind for now.

Though, if this key came from where she thought it did...

...Haruka realized she may know where Kusumi-no-Okami would be waiting for them.

* * *

To the trio's relief, the castle of Landsbruck was still standing when they arrived, though something still felt off. There was a chill floating through the air, and it felt suspiciously like death itself.

"Okay, this isn't right," Maylin quipped. "We need to find Izetta and the princess quickly before something goes horribly wrong."

"You called?"

Maylin looked up to see Izetta and Finé appearing from the nearby trees, riding on Izetta's rifle as always.

"You two doing okay?" Haruka wondered. "You didn't get hurt by whatever that phantom thing is?"

"Oh, you know about it, too?" Finé gasped.

"There's been a strange presence haunting the castle ever since the archduke passed away," Izetta explained. "We're not sure if it's his ghost or if it's one of those Heartless things..."

"Let's go and check it out," Maylin proclaimed. "Sounds like we've got work to do."

Izetta led the trio to the last place they'd felt the ghostly presence, which was at the very top point of the castle.

Nick was the first to feel the chill of the grave passing over him again, as if whatever this ghostly presence was had been attempting to lead him to his death.

"What _is_ this?" Maylin shuddered. "It feels like someone's dancing on my grave. And I'm not even dead! _What's going on here?!_ "

All of a sudden, ribbons of darkness wrapped themselves around Finé's body and carried her out into the air above the castle. Izetta immediately trained her rifle on the possible assailant, but saw nothing.

"Who's out there?!" Izetta growled. "Let Finé go or I _will_ shoot!"

Something descended from the sky, and it appeared to be nothing more than an enormous cloak with claws sticking out from its sleeves and the Heartless symbol embedded on the back of its cloak.

"F-Father?!" Finé gasped.

The Phantom raised its right hand towards Finé, enveloping her in a strange light. Izetta nearly fell off of her rifle when she felt that strange sense again...

...this time, it was coming from Finé herself.

"I... I can feel her life slipping away!" Izetta exclaimed. "What did that thing do?!"

"It must have cast a spell to slowly drain her life force," Haruka stated.

"Oh, _that's it_ ," Maylin growled, slamming Counterpoint to the ground and casting a spell to create an almost-invisible glass floor just outside the window, extending to about the edge of the nearby forest so they could fight the Phantom.

"Let's go, everybody!" Maylin shouted, and they all rushed out onto the glass floor to face down the Phantom.

"Question is, how much time do we have?" Haruka asked, summoning Rumbling Rose. "I'm pretty sure that if that spell completes itself, Finé's gonna die."

As the Phantom came at them with flying slash attacks from its large claws, Nick thought of something.

"Let me try something," Nick quipped as he rushed over to where Finé was floating, summoning the Oathkeeper and casting a Stopra spell on her. Finé was still able to move, attempting to escape her bonds, but Nick couldn't feel the spell on her anymore.

"So time magic stops the spell of doom," Nick quipped. "I get it now."

The Phantom didn't let it go unnoticed, raising its right hand again.

"Don't even think about it, ghost guy!" Maylin shouted, casting a Thundara spell to knock the Phantom back and interrupt its spell casting.

"So that's what we've gotta do here," Haruka stated. "We just have to keep the pressure on this thing so it can't use its spells, and if it hits Finé with that Doom spell, we just gotta cast Stop on her to dispel it."

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's cheat death!" Maylin shouted.

Nick summoned Oblivion to his free hand and rushed in to attack the Phantom with a flurry of strikes from both keyblades before finishing with a dual overhead chop that sent the Phantom reeling.

The Phantom spun around and summoned a shield of orbiting fireballs around itself before continuing to float around the battlefield.

"Oh, please, you _really_ think that's going to work?!" Maylin exclaimed, casting Blizzaga as the Phantom flew close enough, cutting through the shield and damaging the Phantom.

Nick took his chance to jump in and attack with an aerial combo, starting with a left slice with Oblivion and a right slash with Oathkeeper, continuing with a flourish of both keyblades around him, then finishing the combo with a downward drill attack that drove the Phantom to the edge of Maylin's magical arena.

The Phantom shook the damage off before raising its hands and casting Doom on Finé again.

"I got it!" Maylin exclaimed, aiming Counterpoint for Finé and casting Stopra, dispelling the Doom spell. "Get a new act, cloak and dagger."

The Phantom responded to this by raising both of its hands and firing off a powerful dark projectile that screamed through the air and crashed into Maylin, sending her stumbling to the 'ground'.

"You're gonna regret that!" Nick shouted, both Oathkeeper and Oblivion glowing a bright orange as he jumped back into the fray to savage the Phantom's body with a dual Ars Arcanum, finishing with a cross-slash attack that actually ripped a hole in the Phantom's cloak.

While the Phantom was distracted tending to its cloak, Nick rushed over to Maylin and cast Curaga, healing the young mage to full strength.

Maylin then cast Thundaga, Blizzaga, and Firaga in rapid succession, driving the Phantom further back with each spell that hit it, followed by a Graviga spell to drag it down to the 'floor', then Maylin actually ran in and physically attacked the Phantom, landing four solid strikes before finishing with a home run swing.

"All right, I think we've got this thing on the ropes!" Maylin exclaimed.

The Phantom, now enraged though it had no expression to make, flew back and raised its hands again. Once again, that feeling of sudden death washed over everyone present.

"What's that thing doing now?" Izetta growled.

Maylin's eyes widened to their fullest as she realized what was about to happen. "It's casting a supercharged Doom spell! If that thing hits Finé, she's _dead_!"

The Phantom thrust its hands towards Finé, the Doom spell cutting through the empty air.

But just before it could hit Finé and seal her fate, Izetta flew in, her magic spiraling around her in swirls of light and forming a makeshift barrier around her that dispelled the Doom spell upon contact.

"You are _not_ touching _my_ princess _while I still breathe!_ " Izetta screamed, firing her rifle over and over and causing the Phantom to stumble in the air.

Maylin joined in with the barrage, casting Thunder spells one after the other. Even Nick leaped in to help, utilizing both keyblades to dual-cast Thunder spells.

Before long, the Phantom could take no more of the unrelenting assault and collapsed to the 'floor'. Izetta flew close to the Phantom, and with one final pull of her rifle's trigger, blasted the Phantom right in its cloaked head, causing its cloak to shred itself to pieces and reveal a large energy heart that floated away and disappeared.

Once the area was calm again, another object dropped from where the Phantom had just been, revealed to be the shaft and hilt fragment of the strange key.

"There's another one," Haruka quipped, catching the key fragment and placing it with the one they'd won from the Dimension Wall. They fit together perfectly. "But what's gonna happen when we find the last fragment?"

Nick rushed over to Finé and slashed through the energy ribbons that were binding her, allowing her to drop to the glass floor.

"Princess, are you okay?!" Izetta exclaimed, dashing over to help Finé to her feet.

"I'll be okay," Finé answered. "Thank you for being so concerned about me."

Izetta hugged Finé tightly. "I... I love you, Finé..."

Finé just smiled in return. "I love you, too, Izetta."

Maylin just silently applauded at the gesture. _I knew it. They had it_ _ **bad**_ _for each other._

"Your majesty?" one of Finé's guards exclaimed. "Is everything okay?"

"We're fine," Finé replied. "You have nothing to worry about."

"We thought you had been captured by the archduke's ghost or something," the guard answered.

"The culprit was not the ghost of my father like everyone seems to believe," Finé sighed.

"It was just another trouble-making Heartless," Maylin continued. "That's what we're here for!"

"Say, what was that thing you picked up from it?" Izetta wondered.

Haruka thought hard about what this could possibly mean. "Just the beginning of a deeper mystery, Izetta..."

* * *

"See? I told you! I freakin' _told_ you those two had it bad for each other!" Maylin exclaimed as the trio once again returned to the Gummi Ship.

"We knew, Maylin," Haruka admitted. "We were there the first time. We just chose not to say anything about it."

"Dang it, you already _knew_?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Consider that karma for all the times you teased _me_ ," Nick quipped.

Maylin just huffed, until she felt an odd vibration from far off.

"Yeesh... what was that?" Maylin gasped.

"What is it, Maylin?" Nick wondered.

"I just felt a strange power..." Maylin replied. "And I think... it's coming from the Blue Sky Kingdom!"

Haruka activated the Gummi Ship's scanners, and was able to confirm a large power source situated in the Blue Sky Kingdom. "Strange power confirmed."

"Jeez-ums, what is with the Blue Sky Kingdom's horrible luck?!" Maylin shouted. "How many more calamities is that poor kingdom going to suffer through?!"

"Let's just go check it out before there's any more trouble," Nick quipped, though he, too, had felt the strange power.

And the weirdest part? It hadn't felt like light or darkness.

No, it felt like... something different. Something in-between.

* * *

The trio decided to disembark from the Gummi Ship at the Castle Chapel, which was apparently the closest point to the strange energy source.

The first thing Nick noticed when they'd arrived was that a portal was open at the far edge of the room, seemingly leading back to the atrium where they'd defeated Red's dragon form.

"What _is_ this power?" Maylin wondered. "Why does it feel so... _different_ from everything else we've seen on this journey?"

"We're not gonna get anywhere unless we check it out," Haruka replied. "So let's go see what all the hub-bub's about."

Nick nodded, summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands as the trio crossed through the portal back into the Great Atrium, surprised to find no one there.

After a few sweeps of the room, Nick turned around...

...only to find a figure in a black cloak behind them.

"Hey, you," Nick growled. "If you're who I think you are, then you'd better be ready to..."

The hooded figure chose to ignore Nick and walk forward, seemingly turning transparent as he did so. Nick was about to go on the offensive, but the figure passed right through him and the world seemed to freeze for a few brief seconds. Strange voices began to pass through his mind as this happened.

" _What have you done?!"_

" _Everything you've ever known and loved..."_

" _This isn't how it was supposed to end..."_

" _Why do you have a keyblade?!"_

" _The world is at stake..."_

" _We will never surrender!"_

" _Do you honestly think I'm stupid?"_

" _Let's do it, big brother."_

" _With you by my side, sis, I have nothing to fear."_

Nick stumbled forward as the hooded figure reappeared behind him. Shaking off the odd mental cobwebs those voices had spun, Nick turned to face the figure.

"All right, wise guy, who are you?" Nick challenged.

 _Ah. So you're special, too._

"Wait, you're not that Kusumi chick," Maylin quipped.

 _That sounds familiar._

A glowing orb of energy surrounded the figure's right hand, electricity crackling around it.

 _You remind me of them._

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Nick shot back.

The figure turned and shot a blast of electricity at Nick, who raised both Oathkeeper and Oblivion to block the attack, pushing back against it until he could fling the blast into the ceiling, where it exploded upon contact with the Great Atrium's domed ceiling, causing pieces of stone and mortar and brick to rain down from the rafters.

 _It means you are not yet ready._

The figure began to glide slowly towards the trio, causing them to ready their keyblades.

 _You show potential, though. Allow me... to test your strength._

The Unknown threw out several orbs that expanded into large spheres of energy, keeping the trio from getting anywhere near him.

"You're not hiding behind your stupid traps, hood boy!" Maylin shouted, casting a Thunder spell to break through the spheres and strike the Unknown, but he simply vanished under cover of darkness and moved to another location, shooting arcing lightning bolts from his hands.

Maylin cast Reflect to block the attacks, only to have one of the bolts instantly shatter the barrier upon contact.

"What the hell?!" Maylin exclaimed. " _That's_ never happened before!"

As the Unknown continued to fire off lightning bolts that shattered the Reflect barrier every time Maylin tried to cast it, Nick was rushing in, taking advantage of the fact that the Unknown's attention was solely on Maylin.

"Eat this, asshole!" Nick shouted, attacking wildly with Oathkeeper and Oblivion before finishing with a cross-slash that caused the Unknown to teleport to another location before extending strange blades of light from its coat sleeves.

"Okay, dude, stop being a ripoff!" Maylin proclaimed, diving away when the Unknown fired the light blades like lasers at the trio, the blades bouncing off the walls and ceiling a few times before dissipating.

As this happened, the Unknown continued to throw spheres of energy in greater frequency, as if he was attempting to keep the trio apart.

"All right, I've had it!" Maylin shouted, casting Graviga and actually bringing the Unknown to his knees. "It's time I showed you _my_ special move!"

Maylin waved Counterpoint in a rather complicated pattern, drawing a glyph around her body. Each of the symbols on said glyph expanded and began to spin around Maylin, eventually absorbing themselves into her body and causing Maylin to glow with a bright golden light.

"Now say goodnight!" Maylin exclaimed, teleporting to the Unknown and slashing at him with Counterpoint. As she did so, one of the glyph symbols appeared around the Unknown. Maylin continued to teleport around and slash multiple times until the Unknown was completely surrounded by the symbols.

Ready for the finale, Maylin hopped back and raised Counterpoint above her head. The symbols surrounding the Unknown began to shine.

" _Mirage Burst!"_ Maylin chanted, snapping Counterpoint down and causing the symbols to explode into burst of magical power all around the Unknown, causing quite a lot of damage.

But when the attack subsided, the Unknown looked like he hadn't even noticed.

"Oh, come _on_! How durable _is_ this guy?!" Maylin growled.

The Unknown teleported closer before trapping Nick in an electrical field and lifting him into the air, surges of lightning traveling up to shock Nick every few seconds.

"Wrong move, freak!" Haruka shouted, slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground and creating a powerful tremor that caused the Unknown to stumble, though he didn't release his electric hold on Nick.

"I _said_ let _go of him!_ " Maylin growled, blasting the Unknown with a Firaga spell, though it wasn't enough to break his hold. "Did you not hear me?! LET HIM GO, ASSHOLE!"

Maylin spun around before double-casting Thundaga and Blizzaga together, creating a localized hailstorm above the Unknown that pelted him with balls of hail. But nothing could break his electric hold on Nick, apparently.

"Haruka, what do we do?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Nothing's working!"

The Unknown smiled, though it couldn't be seen with his hood up.

Suddenly, Nick sprang back to life, thrusting Oathkeeper and Oblivion to send his electric prison straight back to the Unknown, which exploded upon contact with the ground and forced him backwards.

Nick landed on his feet, readying both keyblades. "Sorry, but you're not taking _me_ out today."

The Unknown stood back up as if he hadn't even been affected by that attack.

 _Impressive. This will be enjoyable after all._

"After what you just pulled?!" Nick exclaimed. "Don't make me laugh!"

Nick leaped towards the Unknown, slicing through the air with a Hurricane Period, but when he was an inch away, the world around Nick froze once again, and when it started up, Nick's attack only struck emptiness.

 _It is beyond you for now. As you are now, you could not possibly understand._

The Unknown turned on his heel and began to walk away.

 _In any case, this is where I take my leave. Until we meet again._

Nick attempted to strike one more time, but the Unknown had vanished completely.

"Oh, Nick, I'm so glad you're okay!" Maylin shouted, leaping over to hug Nick tightly.

"We were honestly worried about you there," Haruka admitted.

"I'll admit, I've been in worse spots," Nick stated.

A trinket clattered to the ground right in front of the trio, and Haruka immediately recognized it as the handle fragment of the strange key.

"And that's all three pieces," Haruka quipped, attaching the last fragment and looking at the key, which resembled a rusty keyblade. "But what does it do?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Maylin stated. "Oh, by the way, I found this in the chapel."

Maylin handed Nick a glowing storybook page.

"Hey, this is the last page!" Nick exclaimed.

"So, one more trip to Traverse Town?" Haruka asked.

"Yep. And then we're ending this," Nick proclaimed. "Let's get our butts back to the Gummi Ship so we can head out."

"Roger that, fearless leader!" Maylin giggled.

* * *

Once the trio were back in the Gummi Ship, the strange key began to shimmer violently, floating into the air.

"H-hey, what the heck is going on?!" Haruka exclaimed.

The strange key vanished with a bright eruption of light, but when Haruka could see again, she noticed that the scanners were picking up on something.

"What is it?" Maylin asked.

"I can lock on to that strange anomaly now!" Haruka proclaimed. "That must have been the _literal_ key to opening the way there!"

"Does the scanner say anything about what the world's like?" Maylin wondered.

"I can't get a confirmed visual, probably won't be able to until we get there," Haruka answered. "But I'm sure that whatever this world is, _that's_ where Kusumi-no-Okami is waiting for us."

"Well, then let's not waste any time! Let's get that storybook page back to Traverse Town so we can go and end this long drawn-out battle!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Roger that," Haruka proclaimed, activating the warp drive to take them back to Traverse Town.

Nick steadied himself, knowing now that it wouldn't be long until this long journey would come to a close.

 _Just wait for me, Marie. Okay?_ Nick thought.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Holy crap, we're almost done, guys!

Haruka: Yep, we're just making one last pit stop in Traverse Town so we can finally finish the Pipo Storybook, and then it's time to end this!

Nick: Even so, it looks like I've got quite a bit on my hands next episode, since we're finishing off the last member of the Freaky Monkey Five and then we're going after Specter!

Maylin: A monkey's piloting a giant monkey Gundam. How original.

Haruka: You know Specter's like that. All class and no results.

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "A Storybook Finale"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	18. A Storybook Finale

As the Gummi Ship exited warp space in front of Traverse Town, Haruka began wondering about something she'd been wanting to ask since they had been given the storybook.

"Hey, Nick?" Haruka wondered. "Does anyone know _why_ there's a whole other world inside of a _storybook_?"

"To be honest, I never actually thought about it," Nick admitted. "I just kinda ran with it, considering all the crazy stuff we've seen on this journey."

Maylin sighed heavily.

"W-what's wrong?" Nick gasped.

"That's just it," Maylin replied. "Our journey's almost over..."

"Jeez, Maylin, you act like we're never gonna see each other again after this is all done," Nick laughed, walking over to Maylin and hugging her for once, surprising the young mage.

"Remember what you guys said to me back in the Blue Sky Kingdom?" Nick stated. "The three of us, we're friends for life. You said it yourself, Maylin."

"Yeah, I did," Maylin giggled.

"So just because one journey's ending doesn't mean that's game over," Nick stated. "My father said something to me once that really stuck with me. 'In the end, there is only a new beginning.' So, the end of one story is just the beginning of another. You catch my drift?"

"I've just had so much fun on this little adventure of ours," Maylin replied. "I didn't want it to end so soon."

"Hey, even if this one's almost over, I'm sure another adventure's waiting just around the corner," Haruka quipped. "Fate's funny that way."

Maylin smiled again, cuddling into Nick as the Gummi Ship approached Traverse Town.

 _Yeah, it sure is, isn't it?_

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick has retrieved the last missing page from the Pipo Storybook, and that means it's time to finish dealing with the Freaky Monkey Five. But even if Nick and Yumi can take down Monkey Red, Specter and Doctor Tomoki are still waiting in the wings, ready to unleash their Double Paradise Plan on this world. Will the Pipo Storybook be a world of monkeys by the end of this tale? Or can Nick and Yumi pull through and end Specter TV once and for all?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 18: A Storybook Finale

"Um, excuse me, anybody home?" Maylin proclaimed as the trio stepped into the Magic House.

"Ah, I see you have found the last page of the book," Kikyo stated, stepping out from behind a nearby curtain.

"Yep," Nick replied. "Just one more super-monkey to beat and then we can chase down Specter and end this nonsense."

"We'll hold down the fort for you, buddy!" Maylin laughed. "Good luck kicking some monkey butt!"

"Roger that," Nick stated, opening the Pipo Storybook and transitioning to the TV Station, where the alerts were already going off.

Nick quickly summoned the Oathkeeper as Aki showed up, already scanning through the readouts of the final satellite location.

"Is Yumi already there?" Nick asked. Aki just nodded. "Then I'm off."

Nick dashed into the viewscreen, popping out of the portal at the foot of a large Chinese temple like you'd see in a cheesy Hong Kong action flick. Yumi was already looking towards the very top of the temple, where the Specter TV satellite was hanging.

All of a sudden, the front doors flew open, causing Nick to shift into a battle stance as Monkey Red, leader of the Freaky Monkey Five, walked out, his weapons drawn and ready.

"Well, now, kiddies, I'm honestly surprised you've made it _this_ far," Monkey Red proclaimed.

"Who are _you_?" Yumi asked.

"An excellent question, kiddie," Monkey Red answered. "I am Hollywood's number one action star! Such power, such agility! Yes, I'm an entirely new breed of action hero. My kung fu is _much_ greater than yours!"

Yumi just smirked, bringing out her Stun Club and lifting it into a karate stance. "Oh, really? Let's hear you say that again, _after_ you've been beaten by a 'little girl'."

Monkey Red nodded to accept the challenge before retreating back into the temple, Nick and Yumi hot on his heels.

They stopped in a circular arena reminiscent of a dojo, where Monkey Red began to swing his nunchucks in wide, arcing slashes.

After a few swings, Nick ducked in through a lull in the attack and went on the offensive, landing at least three slashes before finishing with a Ripple Drive that drove Monkey Red back to the edge of the arena.

Yumi leaped over Nick to continue the attack, landing an overhead strike with the Stun Club to knock Monkey Red flat on his face. Monkey Red quickly recovered, standing up and spinning his nunchucks around him in a tornado attack.

Nick quickly cast Aeroga on Yumi, a shield of wind currents wrapping around her and stopping Monkey Red's attack cold. Yumi flashed a thumbs up to Nick before attacking through Monkey Red's own moves, the Aeroga shield deflecting any strike Monkey Red thought to slip through and allowing Yumi to whip out a spinning attack of her own that knocked Monkey Red out of the arena.

"Very clever," Monkey Red proclaimed. "But that was only round one. Follow me if you dare!"

Monkey Red began to climb up a wooden pole on one side of the arena, leading to the next floor of the temple. Nick and Yumi took the stairs on the opposite side, coming out on the temple's second floor, which was almost completely shrouded in darkness with the temple windows closed.

Through the shadows, Yumi could see two wheel switches on the north and south ends of this arena, most likely the controls to raise the windows.

"Yumi, you go get the lights on," Nick stated. "I'll keep Kung Pow Chicken busy for you."

Yumi nodded, dashing for one of the wheels and twirling around like a ballerina with her Stun Club extended, constantly hitting the wheel to raise the windows and allow light to slowly start seeping into the room.

After hearing the telltale sound of footsteps behind him, Nick summoned Oblivion to his free hand and leapt towards the source of the footsteps, both keyblades slicing wildly through the air until they hit something, causing Monkey Red to stumble and allowing Nick to press his attack, finishing with a somersaulting overhead slash.

By the time Yumi was finished, the arena was sufficiently illuminated enough so that Monkey Red was visible through the darkness.

"This place will be your grave!" Monkey Red shouted, his nunchucks lightning on fire as he swung them. Nick quickly cast Reflect to block the fiery attacks and waited until Monkey Red was finished.

"Stop hiding in your shield, boy!" Monkey Red exclaimed.

"Who said I was hiding?" Nick taunted, raising Oathkeeper to shatter the Reflect barrier and send all the accumulated damage back as a flash of lights around him, causing severe damage to Monkey Red and sending him head-first into the walls of the arena.

"Ugh... you're good, but now I'm _really_ gonna get serious!" Monkey Red proclaimed. "Follow me if you think you're up for it!"

Monkey Red performed a series of wall kicks to reach the third and final level of the temple. Once again, Nick and Yumi just opted to take the stairs to reach the next arena, which oddly enough was simply a large walkway.

"Now we end this!" Monkey Red proclaimed. "Prepare to die!"

"We really don't have much room to work here, do we?" Yumi quipped. "What do we do?"

"We keep the pressure on," Nick stated, spinning Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands. "Take him out before he takes us out."

Nick raised his keyblades, double-casting Aeroga on both Yumi and himself, before charging in to attack.

But every time Nick would attempt to attack, Monkey Red would simply counter and strike back. Monkey Red wasn't able to do much damage, thanks to the Aeroga shield, but every strike Nick made was either blocked, countered, or parried.

" _Transform, Dragon Kung-Fu Fighter!"_

A bright green flash caught Nick's attention, and he turned around to see that Yumi was now dressed in a bright green-and-blue Chinese qipao, a pink headband, and was holding what appeared to be tiny bronze shields in her hands. Her hair was also done up into buns that reminded him of another girl he'd seen in a new anime recently.

Yumi said nothing, dashing in to meet Monkey Red and lashing out with her bronze shields, fire surrounding her fists with each strike. Monkey Red quickly discovered he couldn't push these attacks back, as strong as they were.

After a few more combos, Yumi had pushed Monkey Red against the back wall, allowing Nick to cut through the air with a Hurricane Period and deal the finishing blow, the final strike actually causing Monkey Red to crash through the wall and fall outside of the temple, bouncing three times on the ground before coming to a stop at the front gates, completely dazed from the force of the fall.

Nick used his Aeroga shield to guide him down to the ground level, while Yumi reverted to normal and used the Sky Flyer to glide down after Nick.

"He's all yours, Yumi," Nick stated, to which Yumi swiftly swung the Monkey Net and captured Monkey Red, sending him away with a bright flash. As soon as Monkey Red was out of sight, the Specter TV satellite crumbled, actually snapping off from the roof and crashing down to ground level in a fiery explosion, ending this region's broadcasts.

"And that's all of them," Yumi quipped. "Now we just need to find Doctor Tomoki, and he should lead us to Specter."

"Let's get back to the TV Station and see if Aki's got anything," Nick stated, and the two dashed off, unaware that Specter was watching in complete shock from his secret base.

"T-Tomoki," Specter stammered. "All of the Freaky Monkey Five have been defeated!"

Tomoki didn't seem discouraged at all. "Well, then, I guess that means it's time for us to move to the next level."

"Are your preparations complete?"

"Well, of course, Mr. Specter. I wouldn't be saying so if they weren't..."

Specter and Tomoki began to laugh maniacally. It was time.

* * *

"Welcome back," Aki stated once Nick and Yumi returned to the TV Station.

"The Freaky Monkey Five are finished," Nick proclaimed. "Now we just need to find Specter and Tomoki..."

"I think they want us to find them," Kei stated, pointing towards the warp gate, which was showing an image of the Tomoki Tower, no doubt where the villains were holed up. "We just got a signal from the Tomoki Tower!"

"It seems suspicious," Aki stated. "No doubt they're trying to lead us into a trap."

"Honestly, I think we need to take the bait," Nick proclaimed. "I'm not scared of them!"

"Spoken like a true hero," Yumi giggled. "Let's go together, all three of us. That'll give us some extra protection."

"Roger that, sis," Kei stated, lifting his own Monkey Net.

And with that said, Nick, Kei, and Yumi all warped through the gate into what appeared to be Tomoki's personal throne.

"Oof, tacky much?" Nick groaned. "This places looks more gaudy than that one Halloween party I went to. Hoped never to see _that_ nightmare again..."

"Welcome, welcome to my exquisite lair!" Tomoki proclaimed, appearing from out of nowhere just ahead of them.

"All right, afro boy, I've had enough of this monkey-go-round," Nick growled, summoning the Oathkeeper and aiming it straight for Tomoki. _"Where. Is. Specter?!"_

"So sorry to disappoint you, but Mr. Specter is no longer here," Tomoki answered. "He _is_ quite busy, you know."

"Doesn't matter!" Yumi shouted. "Either way, your broadcasting station's finished! We've got you surrounded, so just give it up!"

In response, Tomoki just laughed. "Oh, wait until you see what we've got in store," Tomoki challenged. "The 'Specter TV Project' you three wasted so much time stopping was only the beginning, after all. Our real operation, the 'Double Paradise Plan', is about to begin!"

Tomoki began to walk down the stairs towards the three teenagers. "With everyone helpless from our broadcasts, we will launch, from our orbiting base, a _gigantic_..."

"Hold it right there, Doctor Tomoki. That is quite enough," Specter stated, appearing on the viewscreen just behind Tomoki. "Isn't it about time you took care of these meddling fools?"

"Oh, right," Tomoki replied. "An exquisite idea! You just stand by and watch the festivities!"

Tomoki's grin turned to one of evil intent as he pressed a button on the nearby control console. "I'm so sorry, but your time is now _up_."

A bright flash surrounded the trio, warping all three of them to the very top of Tomoki Tower.

"Okay, this can't be good," Nick quipped, readying the Oathkeeper for a battle he knew was coming.

And sure enough, through a hatch in the floor came Doctor Tomoki, piloting a large Gundam-esque mecha crafted in his own image, complete with an afro that served as the hull shield.

"Surprised?" Tomoki proclaimed.

"Hey, that's no fair! You're in a giant robot!" Kei exclaimed.

"I need _at least_ this much firepower to fight the three of you," Tomoki admitted. "Or, to put it another way, I'm showing the three of you the respect you deserve for making it as far as you did."

Nick stepped up, brandishing the Oathkeeper. "Fine by me. I've taken down freaks _way_ bigger than you and your robot. Let's dance, afro-nut!"

Tomoking began to glide around the arena, sweeping the floor with lasers and firing missiles to land on random points. Nick dodged through everything he could, blocking the lasers where he could with quick flares of Reflect, until he was able to get close enough to Tomoking.

"Okay, first, we need to get you to stop moving," Nick quipped, unleashing a Sonic Blade to attack Tomoking's legs and forcing it to slow down with each strike.

After hopping back to avoid another laser, Nick cast a Thunder spell that struck the hull shield directly, causing it to crack in places.

 _Oh, if only I could summon right now,_ Nick thought. _I'm pretty sure that any one of them could tear this thing apart!_

Nick looked back at Kei and Yumi, who were apparently attempting to contact Aki. _Hmmm... I wonder..._

Deciding to give it a shot, Nick lashed out with a horizontal slash that temporarily stunned the Tomoking and caused Tomoki to start yelling as he attempted to repair the machine. Nick took this chance to run over to Kei and Yumi.

"Hey, guys, I have an idea," Nick quipped. "I haven't really been able to do it here until now, because I need the power of two friends alongside my own to perform it. If you guys were up for it..."

"Anything to take him down," Yumi proclaimed. "Let's give it a shot!"

Nick nodded, bringing out the Heartjewel and focusing on its power. Kei and Yumi began to glow with a bright purple aura before disappearing from sight.

 **("Cynthia no Hikari" by Aoi Eir plays)**

Nick tossed the Heartjewel into the air and brought the Oathkeeper behind him, beams of light streaking towards the teeth of the blade. After a second, Nick traced a complicated pattern with the teeth before slashing the Oathkeeper through it, causing purple streaks of light to converge on the Heartjewel before exploding outwards in a flash of energy.

Yuuki studied the Tomoking as she floated down. "Hmmm, not like anything I've ever seen..."

"Trust me, when you've been on the crazy adventures I've had, you kinda accept weird things. Let's wreck shop!" Nick replied.

"Oh, you know it," Yuuki giggled, setting her sights on Tomoking and unleashing her Ethereal Blades spell, firing off purple crescent-shaped energy blades that battered the Tomoking and forced it back.

The Tomoking attempted to fire missiles straight for Nick, but he quickly cast a Reflect spell that bounced the missiles back into Tomoking's body.

"Okay, this is getting kinda sad," Nick quipped. "Wanna just put this thing out of its misery, Yuuki?"

"Let's," Yuuki replied as they both charged the Tomoking.

Yuuki readied her weapon and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Tomoking's chestplate. Nick brandished the Oathkeeper and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Nick and Yuuki reared back and thrust their weapons forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of their blades straight into the center of the X they'd formed with the earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from Tomoking's body, cracking the hull plating and causing the machine to fall apart.

Yuuki flashed a victory sign to Nick before disappearing into the Heartjewel and allowing Kei and Yumi to return.

Surprisingly, Tomoki was still standing when he crawled out of the machine's wreckage, only to fall to his knees in exhaustion. Tomoki's afro fell off as well, revealing what appeared to be a prototype Peak Point Helmet grafted to his head.

Naturally, all three teenagers didn't know what to make of this strange revelation.

"Um... I-I-I... I assure you, there's an ex-explanation for this!" Tomoki stammered before realizing it was time to come clean.

"I... was on the research team with the professor, the research that created the Peak Point Helmets," Tomoki explained. "But one day, an accident during a testing phase caused my head to... well, become like this. I think that's what did it! What led my life astray!"

Tomoki began to laugh, although to Nick, it sounded like he was crying at the same time. "Go ahead and laugh... I know you want to..."

Nick just stood there, absorbing what Tomoki had just told them. _After all that... all the craziness, the plotting with Specter... and he still refused to fall to the darkness,_ Nick thought.

"You poor man..." Yumi sighed.

"Tomoki, listen," Nick stated. "You're stronger than you think you are. Despite everything that happened to you, you refused to give in. You _refused_ to fall to the darkness. And after what I've seen on my journeys, that's quite the accomplishment in my book."

Suddenly, laughter began to break out from somewhere nearby. Nick turned around and saw that it was Specter, shown on a large viewscreen on the opposite edge of the arena. Apparently, Specter found this situation hilarious.

"Stop laughing at him!" Kei shouted.

"Oh, leave me alone," Specter stated. "Who couldn't laugh at... THAT?!"

"You're horrible, laughing at someone else's pain!" Yumi shouted. "How would you like it if everyone laughed at _you_?!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter, anyway," Specter gloated, "My Double Paradise Plan won't be stopped now! And it's not like you'll ever manage to reach me here. How does it feel to be so helpless? Have fun sucking your thumbs, morons. Bye."

The screen cut out, leaving them alone. Yumi was literally about to go off the deep end, but Tomoki suddenly stood up, his afro back on his head.

"Never fear! I will help you!" Tomoki proclaimed.

"You... you will?" Yumi gasped.

"Your kind words meant a lot to me," Tomoki admitted. "I will take you to where Mr. Specter is hiding."

Tomoki brought out a remote control device. "Space Tomoki Mark 1... LAUNCH!"

After pressing the button, the entirety of Tomoki Tower separated from the ground around the city and propelled itself through the atmosphere. Nick had to cast a wide-field Reflect spell to shield everybody from the vacuum of space until they could reach Specter's base.

"There it is! Behind the moon!" Tomoki proclaimed. Nick was the first to catch a glimpse of an enormous space station modeled in Specter's visage, with two giant fists to either side. "That is Mr. Specter's base, Space Station SARU-003!"

"Do you fools honestly believe you can stop me?!" Specter's voice resounded, again cutting through the communication channels. "I'd actually grown tired of waiting for you, believe it or not. My plans have reached their final stage, after all."

"That Double Paradise thing?" Nick quipped. "What _exactly_ is that all about?!"

"Oh, why not? I may as well tell you," Specter admitted. "You won't live to see its completion anyway. This space station, the SARU-3, is equipped with a powerful Chop Rocket. I will launch it, and CRACK! I chop the Earth in two, right down the middle! I was going to give one of the halves to Tomoki, but I'll probably just let you humans fight over it. So, what do you think? Both a brilliant and peaceful solution, right?"

"Are you _insane_ , Specter?!" Nick shouted. "Even you monkeys can't live on the planet if you do that! You're so intelligent with that helmet, but apparently you don't understand the laws of physics!"

"Oh, stop trying to fool me," Specter proclaimed. "I'm more powerful than I've ever been! Switch... ON!"

Specter pressed a button on his command chair, and the Chop Rocket separated from SARU-003 and began its descent towards the Earth.

"Now, come and watch the finale of my Double Paradise Plan," Specter cackled. A dock door on the lower level of SARU-003 opened up, and a large, gorilla-styled mecha suit came flying towards the Space Tomoki. "And stay out of the way!"

As soon as it was within range, Gorilliac latched onto the Space Tomoki and bore down on our heroes.

"Okay, that's it, Specter," Nick growled, summoning Oblivion to his free hand. "You really think I'm scared of your giant gorilla Gundam?! I've fought the avatar of a goddess, and I came out of that alive! So _don't underestimate me_!"

Gorilliac pounded on its chest before firing lasers from its eyes that forced Nick to dive away to avoid getting scorched.

"All right, where's the weak point on this thing?" Nick wondered.

Kei and Yumi began to dash around, searching for any point they could reliably attack on Gorilliac.

"Hey, what about those wind-up keys?" Yumi stated, pointing towards the windup-key-shaped objects on either side of Gorilliac's head.

Nick set his sights on the keys and cast a Thunder spell on each one of them, shattering them and apparently locking Gorilliac's head in its place.

In response, the arms began to punch the floor at random spots, creating shockwaves that kept Nick at bay.

But as Gorilliac bent back to throw another punch, Nick spotted another key on the fists, diving away from a right hook to cast Thunder on the key and break it off. Nick spun around and cast Thunder once more, breaking the left hand's key and disabling Gorilliac's arms.

"Curse this stupid unfinished suit!" Specter proclaimed, catching Nick's attention. Nick looked up and saw that Specter was in the cockpit at the center of Gorilliac's chest cavity.

"Oh, good luck trying to get me out," Specter cackled as Gorilliac pushed itself up to tower over them. "You may have disabled Gorilliac, but the only way to get me out is to destroy the machine! I'm locked in nice and tight!"

Nick suddenly grinned, confusing Specter. " _Locked_ , you say..."

Nick raised the Oathkeeper towards the cockpit and shot a beam of light at its doorway, undoing the lock keeping it in place and forcing it open. This caused a shocked Specter to tumble out of the cockpit and onto the glass floor of the Space Tomoki. Gorilliac, with both its head and arms disabled, could do naught but relinquish its grip on the Space Tomoki and fall through the atmosphere, the burning heat of re-entry disintegrating it into nothingness.

"Don't think you've won yet!" Specter shouted, firing a blast of psychic power into a nearby control console, rocking the Space Tomoki and slightly changing its course.

"W-what's happening?!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Specter has damaged the Space Tomoki's guidance systems," Tomoki explained, observing the damage. "We're on a direct collision course with the SARU-003!"

"That's correct!" Specter cackled. "Even if I can't chop the Earth in half, I will take great pleasure in annihilating all of you at once! This is where you can say goodbye to all of your precious lives!"

Nick was the first to notice the telltale dark glow surrounding Specter's body, the sure sign that Specter had finally fallen to the darkness.

"He's lost it," Nick quipped. "Let's end this."

Nick was the first to charge, Kei and Yumi right behind him, even as Specter began throwing spheres of psychic energy out in groups of three. Nick dodged the ones he could and parried others back at Specter, only for him to stop them with a psychic shield.

Kei fired an explosive bullet from his Slingback Shooter, hoping to penetrate the psychic barrier, but to no avail. Yumi was about to try it herself, to see if consecutive shots would do the trick, but Nick quickly noticed the barrier go down as Specter began to toss more psychic orbs at them.

"That's it!" Nick exclaimed. "Specter has to take the barrier down so he can attack! We've gotta time our hits so we can get him while he's vulnerable!"

Yumi nodded, readying an exploding pellet as Specter launched a blast to the ground that created a large shockwave. After jumping over the wave, Yumi fired, the pellet exploding in Specter's face and spinning him around in his chair.

Nick pressed the attack, striking Specter at least four times before finishing with a Hurricane Period that sent Specter flying across the arena.

"I'll crush you!" Specter proclaimed, using his psychic powers to lift the head of Gorilliac, which had detached from the main body after being defeated, and slam it down onto the arena floor, creating ripples that threatened to destroy their only foothold.

"We must end this now," Tomoki proclaimed. "We do not have much time before our station crashes into SARU-003!"

As Specter threw another shockwave out, Yumi fired an explosive pellet, knocking Specter out of his chair and onto the arena floor. Nick didn't waste a second in laying into Specter with everything he had, hoping to break his defenses before it was too late for any of them.

Just as Specter was picking himself up, Nick launched into an Ars Arcanum, keeping Specter locked in his spot.

"Yumi, get over here, quickly!" Nick shouted. Yumi brought out her Monkey Net and dashed forward as Nick finished Ars Arcanum, leaving Specter dazed.

Specter looked up, only having time to panic as Yumi swung the Monkey Net, finally capturing Specter in a flash of blue light.

"Well done, you guys," Aki's voice proclaimed, coming from Yumi's phone. "Specter's capture has just been confirmed."

"Now, for the big question... HOW DO WE GET OFF THIS THING?!" Kei shouted.

"I can answer that!" Tomoki exclaimed. "Thankfully, Mr. Specter did not damage the teleportation systems earlier, so I can warp all of you to safety."

"What about you, Tomoki?" Nick asked.

"Do not worry!" Tomoki proclaimed. "I will stay to crash the Space Tomoki into SARU-003. Once the Chop Rocket was engaged, it can't be stopped unless SARU-003 is destroyed as well. Do not fear for me, though. I will use the Space Tomoki's escape pod to flee to safety myself!"

Tomoki turned to the teleportation controls. "I will never forget your kindness, my friends. Until we meet again!"

Tomoki activated the teleporter hubs, warping Nick, Kei, and Yumi back to the TV Station in a flash of light.

Once he was all alone, Tomoki sighed in defeat. "I lied. We'll never meet again. Sadly, the Space Tomoki was not built with an escape pod, and... the teleporters only had one last charge in them, damaged as it is. But... I suppose this is my way of atoning for what I have done. My, I haven't felt this good about myself in years! I'm so glad I met you. Nick... Kei... Yumi... thank you, and goodbye."

Tomoki closed his eyes and smiled, accepting his face. The Space Tomoki eventually crashed into the direct center of SARU-003, ripping both vessels to space dust in a phenomenal explosion sure to be seen around the world. The Chop Rocket, now disconnected from its primary programming, halted its fall and began to float aimlessly through space.

"What do you mean, there was no escape pod?!" Kei exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but none of our sensors detected an escape pod from the Space Tomoki before it crashed," Aki admitted.

"Does that mean... that he...?" Yumi gasped, on the verge of tears.

"He's gone," Nick replied. "But I think it's how he wanted to go. To atone for what he'd done after he lost his way."

Aki walked up to Nick, placing a keychain in his hand. "Yumi said she wants you to have this, for everything you've done to help us in stopping Specter's plans."

Nick accepted the keychain and attached it to the Oathkeeper, watching it transform into a new keyblade. The handle guard resembled the blades of the Sky Flyer, the hilt was a medallion engraved with a Pip Monkey on it, the shaft was a mix of both Kei and Yumi's specific Stun Clubs, the teeth resembled a cut-open copy of the netting from the Monkey Net, and the keychain token was a cute picture of Yumi. The words _Gotcha Gadget_ ran through Nick's mind.

Just as things were beginning to calm down, the warp gate suddenly began to glow brightly.

"Oh, what now?!" Kei exclaimed.

Nick turned around just in time to see a large, glowing keyhole form on the warp gate's viewscreen.

"This one's mine," Nick stated, raising Gotcha Gadget and firing a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it with a loud click. The viewscreen returned to its normal saturation once the keyhole had been sealed.

"And with that, my work here is done," Nick proclaimed. "Specter's been captured, the keyhole is sealed, and all's right with the world. I should probably get back to my friends before Maylin forms an expedition to get me out."

"You're welcome back anytime," Aki laughed.

"And, hey, if Specter and the monkeys ever come back to cause trouble," Nick stated, raising Gotcha Gadget to the sky. "I'm just a call away."

* * *

When Nick returned to the Magic House, his two companions were nowhere to be found. "Um, where did everybody go?" Nick wondered.

"Your friends went to the Synthesis Shop," Kagome answered. "They wanted to create some new gear for the last leg of your journey."

"Please be careful, wherever you may be going," Kikyo proclaimed. "I can feel the darkness flowing from that wretched place. It will swallow you if you are careless."

"Hey, we've come this far, right?" Nick quipped. "I won't fall to the darkness. I've got people waiting for me when I finally get home, after all."

"Brave words, bearer of the keyblade," Kikyo stated.

Nick crossed through the Second District and was about to enter the First District when he eventually bumped into Maylin and Haruka. Nick was quick to notice the new bracelets attached to their wrists.

"Did you two have fun with the Elric brothers?" Nick asked.

"Oh, _did_ we," Maylin giggled.

"So, don't keep me in suspense, what did you guys make?" Nick wondered.

"That's not important, Nick," Maylin replied, handing something to Nick. "What _is_ important is _this_. It's truly the greatest creation the Elric bros have ever put together. We kinda figured you'd need it for whatever lies ahead."

Before Nick could ask what exactly they had created, the object in his hand began to glow before vanishing. A second later, an extremely powerful-looking keyblade flashed into his hands. This keyblade was strongly reminiscent of the Dream Sword from his dream sequence, but was wrapped in an ornate gold and aqua blue filigree in a pattern slightly reminiscent of fish bones. The teeth of the blade was a large golden crown atop a crisscrossing heart, and the keychain token, attached to the blade by a shimmering thread, was a gilded heart. As Nick reveled in the keyblade's overwhelming power, the words _Ultima Weapon_ ran through Nick's mind.

"Holy crap, they alchemized a _keyblade_?!" Nick exclaimed.

"It required some pretty special materials that we were kinda hesitant to part with," Haruka explained. "But when Ed said we could use them to create a phenomenal keyblade, we couldn't refuse them."

"Consider it our present to you, Nick," Maylin laughed, jumping over to hug Nick tightly. "For being the most awesome friend we could have ever asked for."

"Aw, you guys are so sweet," Nick stated. "Now what do you say we get back to the Gummi Ship and finally put an end to this battle?"

"I'm all for that!" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's finish this long and drawn-out nightmare!"

So, the trio made their way back to the Gummi Ship, and from their current vantage point, they could easily see a gigantic mass of darkness at the very edge of the Lanes Between, no doubt flowing from whatever world that Kusumi-no-Okami was waiting for them on.

"Well, this is it, guys," Haruka proclaimed. "Once we get going, there's no turning back. If there's anything you want to do before we head out, say the words now."

"I think we've accomplished everything we need to," Nick stated. "We've locked all the keyholes we've found, and there's no more tournaments until the Vytal Festival, and who knows when that'll be. So, Haruka, let's finish this."

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Haruka exclaimed as the Gummi Ship roared to life for what could possibly be the last time, flying headlong into the heart of the darkness that awaited them.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Gotcha Gadget  
** Strength: 12  
Magic: 11  
Ability: Critical Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the monkey catchers of a fabled storybook. Raises max MP by 1, and enhances magic and summoning power. Increases critical hit chance by 50%._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Ultima Weapon  
** Strength: 20  
Magic: 20  
Ability: Guardian's Veil  
 _A weapon that possesses unsurpassed strength and magic, truly the keyblade above all others. Raises max MP by 3, and possess maximum power and attributes. Halves all damage taken when at critical health._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: This is it, everybody! We're almost done!

Haruka: Next time, we're flying straight into the heart of the darkness to confront Kusumi-no-Okami and get Marie back before her darkness consumes all worlds!

Nick: And after what this freak's taken from me, I'm not gonna rest until Marie is back home safe and sound.

Haruka: But this world is strange. I almost forgot it existed...

Maylin: How can you _forget_ that a world existed? Either it exists or it doesn't! Right?

Haruka: But this one's different. Many people thought it was just a legend, after all...

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "The End of Everything"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	19. The End of Everything

"And once again, it's getting darker out here," Haruka quipped as the Gummi Ship, currently in Highwind Mode, rocketed through the Lanes Between, drawing closer and closer to the heart of the darkness that awaited them.

"Probably because of whatever's going on over there," Maylin replied as they passed by the Blue Sky Kingdom. "Remember, that weirdo's waiting for us."

The Lanes Between suddenly darkened to the point where the trio could barely see anything besides two or three dark purple nebulas, and even then, they barely stood out from the darkened void around them.

And it seemed like the source could now be seen, a large structure out in the void resembling a barren desert plain.

"It's... a desert," Nick quipped. "Not exactly what I was expecting."

Maylin gasped in shock when she saw what appeared to be keyblades sticking out of the structure in many different spots. And Haruka seemed to realize it, too, because when she parked the Gummi Ship in front of the world, she had to take a moment to catch her breath.

"Hey, is everything okay, you two?" Nick asked, noticing the looks of shock on his friends' faces.

Haruka looked again, just to confirm her suspicions. Yep.

"Nick... I never thought this world still existed..." Haruka answered. "Of all the worlds that Izanami-no-Mikoto ruled over, this was the last one I'd ever think was still around."

"Back then, a lot of warriors attempted to fight her, in hopes of breaking her dominance over the worlds," Maylin continued. "They weren't so lucky..."

"Their weapons came to rest here once their wielders were defeated," Haruka stated. "As a symbol to all who crossed her."

Haruka sighed heavily. "A mausoleum of dead weapons, their masters broken and scattered to the winds..."

"Over time, this world faded from memory," Maylin explained. "But there were always whispers of its story passed down through time, of what it represented and how it came to be known as... the Keyblade Graveyard."

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** At long last, our heroes have reached the heart of the darkness, ready to confront Kusumi-no-Okami before she can reunite with her vessels and swallow everything in eternal darkness. She waits within the depths of the Keyblade Graveyard, a barren world filled with reminders of all who have opposed her before. Will the story be different this time? Or is history doomed to repeat itself?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 19: The End of Everything

When Nick could finally see the Keyblade Graveyard for himself, he couldn't believe the sights he was beholding. A vast, desert plain with rusted and dead keyblades stuck into the ground every which way, mountains with gigantic holes blasted through them, and not a single bit of life to be found anywhere.

"Jeez," Nick stated. "Was it really that bad?"

"This used to be a thriving world, from what I can remember of the legends," Haruka replied. "But it was also the world where Izanami-no-Mikoto called, well, her home, the world she chose to rule. Over the millenia where she existed, thousands upon thousands of keyblade wielders fought bravely to break her hold on the multiverse, only to be struck down. Their keyblades were left as grave markers where they were slain."

"Wait, I thought that she was defeated by the first keyblade wielders," Nick responded.

"She was, but it took many millenia of war in order for it to actually happen," Maylin explained. "The master of masters was essentially immortal, you see. Not many people know, but he was actually the very first wielder of the keyblade. He pretty much linked his soul to the power of his keyblade so he could pass through the generations and assist keyblade wielders in their fight."

"When his body passed on, his spirit would eventually return in a new form, like a phoenix from the ashes," Haruka continued. "By the time the master of masters finally found the power to defeat Izanami-no-Mikoto, this world had been reduced to nothing but a barren wasteland, basically what we're standing in right now."

Nick gazed around the vistas of the Keyblade Graveyard, trying to imagine someone who had been part of that great war.

"When Izanami-no-Mikoto had been dealt with, and her avatars scattered to the corners of the multiverse, the master of masters gave his life to seal this world in darkness," Maylin stated. "He knew that someday, she would return, and vowed to protect the different dimensions from the inevitable darkness."

 _Different dimensions?_ Nick thought, trying to think of someone like that, a guardian of the many realities that existed. _No, that couldn't be._

"Okay, so... where do we go from here?" Haruka wondered. "I see so many different pathways, but I have no idea where they lead."

"Just follow the darkness to the most dangerous place and we'll find that freak!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick extended his hand, and Maylin instantly caught his intent, placing her own hands on top of his. Haruka followed suit, placing one hand on top of Maylin's and her other hand under Nick's hand.

"No matter what happens," Nick proclaimed. "The three of us are friends for life."

"We'll never be separated," Maylin stated. "Not by the darkness, not by the light, not by _anything_."

"Our hearts will stay united," Haruka proclaimed. "And lead us back to each other should we be driven astray."

The trio turned to the winding path just ahead of them, summoning their keyblades and silently announcing their intent.

"It's time," Nick proclaimed, and they set off down the path, following the trail of keyblades to a trench area, nestled between two large cliffs.

The Twister Trench appeared to be a large, wide-open space, with strange-looking Heartless floating around near gigantic tornadoes that glided every which way around the plain.

"Ooookay..." Maylin quipped. "Did they not notice us?"

One of the Heartless turned around at this and began to glide towards the trio.

"You _had_ to say something," Haruka groaned.

The Invisible swung its scalloped sword straight for Haruka, who raised Rumbling Rose to parry, only for Nick to jump in and uppercut the Invisible with a slash from the Oathkeeper.

"You can forget it, buddy," Nick proclaimed, leaping to attack with a Hurricane Period, almost grounding the Invisible before it countered with a flying overhead slash.

Maylin quickly cast a Graviga spell on the Invisible to bring it down, only for it to plant its sword into the ground and disappear in a flash of darkness.

"Where'd it go?" Haruka wondered.

A shimmering ring of darkness suddenly surrounded Nick, closing in on him quickly. Thinking quickly, Nick cast Reflect around himself, and the dark ring simply bounced off of the barrier and reformed into the Invisible, who flew up into the air, then dove back downwards, attempting to divebomb the trio.

Haruka blocked the strike before pushing back, stumbling the Invisible and allowing Maylin to finish it off with a point-blank Thunder spell.

"Man, that thing was tougher than some of the others," Maylin groaned.

"Probably because it's a pureblood Heartless," Haruka replied.

"Wait, there's different kinds of Heartless?" Nick gasped as the trio continued to weave through the Twister Trench.

"Most of the ones we've fought are what we call Emblems," Haruka explained. "They were created by Izanami-no-Mikoto herself, so they're basically artificial. Purebloods, like that thing we just fought, come straight from the darkness itself."

"It's scary to think there's actually different types of Heartless," Nick stated, swinging Oathkeeper out to cut a Neoshadow in half. "That just complicates things even further."

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted as one of the tornadoes approached them rapidly.

Nick quickly cast Reflect, only for the tornado to encompass them and instantly shatter the barrier. Upon being sucked into the eye of the storm, the trio found themselves in an odd dimension filled with swirly red nebulas and surrounded by Heartless, mostly Darkballs, Wyverns, and Defenders.

"Oh, shove _off_!" Maylin shouted.

Having just felt a strange surge of power, Nick looked at his keyblade, the Oathkeeper, which was glowing with a bright golden light. Maylin and Haruka's keyblades were glowing as well.

Nick was the first to raise his keyblade. Maylin and Haruka quickly followed suit, their keyblades touching and forming a bright sphere of golden light around them.

As the Heartless approached, the trio snapped their keyblades downwards, and the sphere of light they'd created expelled powerful beams from itself, each one thundering out to strike and instantly vaporize any Heartless they touched.

When all of the Heartless surrounding them had been destroyed, the pocket dimension around them collapsed, returning the trio to the Twister Trench.

"Yeah, suck on _that_ , dark boys," Maylin giggled.

"Let's keep moving," Nick stated. "I literally have no idea how much time we have left."

After a few more fights within the tornadoes, the trio finally cleared the Twister Trench and entered the Faraway Fissure, a small area with a long tunnel that led out into the Crossroads.

Now, Nick could no longer contain his shock. What had to have been millions of dead keyblades were protruding from the ground, forming four pathways across the vast plain.

"Oh, god," Nick gasped.

"That's what I thought," Haruka admitted. "Izanami-no-Mikoto was no joke, Nick. Just about everyone who ever challenged her was either slain or turned to darkness to serve her."

"Then what chance do _we_ have?" Nick proclaimed.

"You're forgetting one key fact here, Nick," Maylin stated. "She hasn't fully awakened yet, so if we can destroy Kusumi-no-Okami before she can come together, we'll never have to worry about that coming to pass."

"Then we need to hurry," Nick stated.

The sounds of flapping wings caught Nick's attention, and he saw a Fafnir gliding down from the air towards their position.

"Oh, crap, not one of these things again!" Maylin growled, casting Curaga to heal everyone to full strength as Fafnir landed.

"At least now we know its weak point," Nick replied, summoning Oblivion to his free hand. "So let's just take this thing down so we can move on."

The Fafnir growled in dissent, swinging its arms and slicing its wickedly-sharp claws through the air.

Maylin and Haruka split off to both sides of Fafnir while Nick faced the great dragon head on.

Fafnir gazed down at Nick, its sharp yellow eyes studying him.

"Yeah, I'm looking at you, ugly," Nick taunted. _Déjà vu, huh?_ "Let's tango."

Fafnir made a mighty leap, coming back down to the ground hard enough to create a shockwave that rattled the myriad keyblades around them.

Nick was the first to attack, performing a spinning attack on the horns and landing just in time to avoid retaliation by way of a swift chomp.

Maylin cast a Thunder spell on the horns, causing cracks to form in them, while Haruka leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders to slam Rumbling Rose into Fafnir's head, causing the great dragon to take a few steps back.

"Yeah, let's see how you like me _now_!" Maylin proclaimed, casting Thundaga and causing lightning bolts to rain down upon Fafnir's body.

Fafnir opened its mouth to rain fire breath down upon the trio, but Nick cast Blizzaga into Fafnir's gaping maw, stunning the dragon and causing it to slump to the ground, where Nick wasted no time in attacking the horns, eventually shearing them off with a cross-slash.

Fafnir roared its anger before collapsing to the ground and vanishing into specks of darkness.

"Huh? That's it?" Maylin quipped. "That was easy!"

"Yeah, that one was weak sauce compared to the one we fought at the Blue Sky Kingdom," Haruka quipped. "What gives?"

"I think it's because _that_ one was being empowered by the keyhole while it was still open," Nick theorized. "That's probably why it gave us such a hard time then and why this one was such a pansy compared to it. And remember, I can dual-wield now, so there's another factor to why this one went down so fast."

"Well, if we're all done here, let's move on," Maylin stated. "But... which way?"

Nick gazed around, trying to pinpoint a path to choose. When he looked at the south path, he felt a great surge of darkness, almost acting like a beacon.

"That way," Nick stated, and the trio raced down the south road, eventually transitioning through a cave and into the Great Crevasse, a large canyon filled with eerie green webbing and, strangely enough, various Gummi Blocks.

"Okay, is that weird to anyone else?" Maylin wondered. "Why are there Gummi Blocks here?!"

"I think we need to go down," Haruka stated. "There's no way up, after all."

The trio began to hop down the pathways that stretched out across the canyon, making sure not to get caught up in the webbing unless they had to use it to bounce to a higher area.

After a rather harrowing trip, the three reached a swirling vortex of light that appeared to be the only way onward.

"Well, all in who's going in, I guess," Maylin quipped.

After a second to prepare, the trio hopped into the vortex, only to come back out in what appeared to be Traverse Town's Third District.

"Um... someone want to explain _this_?!" Maylin exclaimed.

Maylin's tirade was interrupted as a Guard Armor dropped down from the sky and landed directly in front of them.

"You again!" Nick shouted as the Guard Armor went on the offensive.

"Maylin, hit him while I've got it distracted!" Haruka shouted.

"Roger dodger!" Maylin replied, producing a spell coin.

Nick intercepted a strike from the left foot so Maylin could concentrate.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, tossing the coin into the air and striking it with Counterpoint as it fell down. The coin's ancient letters shined brightly before creating seven or eight points of light around it. Each point of light unleashed a wicked thunderbolt, all of them screaming through the air to strike the Guard Armor directly in its torso, forcing it backwards.

Nick took this opportunity to strike, slashing the two legs away from him before hacking away at the vulnerable torso.

Just then, the Guard Armor began to spin wildly, forming a sort of tornado around itself.

"Get back, Nick!" Maylin shouted, grabbing another magic coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!"

Maylin struck the coin with Counterpoint, and a current of wind wrapped itself around Nick just in time to protect him from the spinning Guard Armor.

"Nice save," Nick quipped.

"Don't mention it!" Maylin giggled.

Haruka, meanwhile, was fighting the Guard Armor's rogue legs. She continued to sidestep away to avoid the shockwaves that the armored feet produced with every step before jumping in to strike.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere fast," Haruka groaned. She then leapt back before jumping into the air and slamming Rumbling Rose down hard, creating a radial shockwave that destroyed both of the Guard Armor's legs.

"All right, two down and three to go!" Haruka exclaimed.

The Guard Armor responded to the destruction of its legs by lashing out to grab Nick in its clawed arms, cutting right through the barrier of wind surrounding him.

"Hey, let me go, you overgrown knight suit!" Nick shouted.

The Guard Armor complied, brutally slamming Nick into the ground. Nick was able to get up after the attack, but was obviously wounded, clutching his right shoulder and breathing heavily.

"Don't worry, Nick!" Maylin shouted. "Emergency nurse aid, coming up!"

Maylin clutched another coin in her hand, smiling before tossing it into the air. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! HEAL!"

Maylin struck the coin with Counterpoint, and Nick was surrounded by a soft green light. Once it cleared, the pain in Nick's shoulder had vanished completely.

"Thanks," Nick stated.

"No problem!" Maylin replied. "Now let's finish this thing off!"

Nick nodded and turned back to the Guard Armor, ready for whatever it would pull next.

The Guard Armor eventually started spinning again, but this time it began to hop up and down while spinning, creating tremors every time it impacted the ground.

After about eight tremors, Maylin decided she'd had enough. "Time to chill, jerk! Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"

When Maylin struck the coin, a field of snowflakes surrounded the Guard Armor before freezing it into a block of jagged ice and causing it to drop like a stone to the ground, shattering the ice and stunning it.

Haruka wasted no time in rushing over and slashing at both of the prone arms with Rumbling Rose, destroying them with one final strike. "All right, Nick, finish him off!"

"My pleasure," Nick proclaimed before charging straight for the Guard Armor's vulnerable torso.

The Guard Armor attempted to pick itself up, but Nick was faster on the draw, ripping forward with one mighty slash.

The torso began to implode from the inside, explosions rocking its body. After a while, it froze completely, its head falling off and crashing to the ground. The remains of the Guard Armor eventually evaporated into nothingness, its only remains being a giant, glowing heart-shaped object that floated into the sky before vanishing.

"Did we just... I don't know, _relive_ that fight?" Maylin wondered once the Guard Armor was gone. "It played out almost exactly like our first round with that jerk did!"

"Makes me wonder what's really going on here," Haruka quipped. "Is this place making us relive our battles?"

"I wouldn't put it past Kusumi-no-Okami," Nick realized. "Maybe she's doing it to keep us occupied or something, to buy some time for her to do whatever she's gotta do."

"Oh, then we'd better hurry and get through this déjà vu nightmare!" Maylin proclaimed as the trio walked into a glowing pillar of light that had just appeared, which took the trio to Beacon Academy's courtyard.

"If I remember correctly..." Maylin started, only to be interrupted when the Chimera dropped from the sky. "Yep! Freakin' _knew_ it!"

As the Chimera charged, Maylin took this chance to unleash a spell of her own. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" she shouted, striking her spell coin and unleashing a wicked lightning bolt that crashed into the Chimera's head, making it roar in abject pain.

"Yeah, can't stand the heat, can you?!" Maylin quipped, only for the Chimera to roar and charge straight for Maylin. The young wizard gulped, knowing she couldn't cast another spell in time with how fast the Chimera was approaching.

Nick was over there in a flash, casting Firaga into the Chimera's forehead and halting its charge immediately. Nick didn't waste a second, charging in while the Chimera was still recovering and leaping off of Maylin's shoulders so he could reach the Chimera's head to deliver a few whacks, complete with a somersaulting overhead strike that drove the Chimera to the ground.

The Chimera quickly picked itself up and flew towards where Maylin was standing.

"Sorry, buddy, flight's cancelled!" Haruka shouted, making her presence known by jumping into the air and landing on the Chimera's back. Spinning Rumbling Rose in her hands, she raised it high above her head and slammed it down with all the force she could muster.

The impact was so harsh that an almost-invisible shockwave rippled out from where Haruka had struck as the Chimera crashed down to the ground.

"Nick, it's down! Get in there and finish this thing off already!" Maylin shouted.

"Best idea I've heard all day," Nick proclaimed, charging back into the fray, the Oathkeeper held high as he leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders.

The Chimera seemed to recover from its wounds, picking itself up and attempting to attack, but it was too late for it.

Coming back down from his aerial leap, Nick let out a loud battle cry as he dealt the finishing blow, smashing the Oathkeeper right into the Chimera's forehead before gripping his keyblade and ripping it through the great beast vertically until he reached the ground, effectively bisecting the Chimera.

Nick held his keyblade proudly as the Chimera roared in disbelief one last time before exploding with much pageantry into wisps of shadow that quickly disintegrated, a large energy heart floating into the air before quickly dissipating.

"Well, that was fun," Nick quipped.

"I'm rubbing off on you, huh?" Haruka giggled.

"Let's not go there now of all times," Maylin proclaimed as the trio walked through another pillar of light, coming out inside the Museum Main Office of Tower 47.

Nick gazed around, knowing that their enemy was nearby. And sure enough, the Electroleech burst through the wall, roaring its gurgling roar in challenge.

"Oh, I had fun with you," Maylin laughed.

Maylin was the first to attack, ducking and weaving through the numerous thunderbolts the Electroleech was throwing at them before leaping off an empty spot on the wall (most of it was covered by either the dimensional mass or the Electroleech's tendrils) to get enough height to attack one of the tendrils. With each slash from Counterpoint, the Electroleech thrashed wildly, indicating they were making progress.

Haruka, not one to be left out, stuck to the ground and slashed at the closest tendrils, finishing off with an overhead chop that severed two tendrils from the Electroleech's body.

"Show-off," Maylin teased.

"Hey, anything to get out of here quicker," Haruka stated. "I really don't like the look of this place."

While the girls were cutting the tendrils, Nick rushed in to attack the main body, and this time, the damage he inflicted stayed on the beast's body.

"Two down, three to go!" Haruka exclaimed just as Maylin made a final downward slash that severed the tendril she'd been concentrating on. "Make that _three_ down, _two_ to go."

The Electroleech roared in defiance, its eyes opening fully to unleash a bolt of lightning that ripped through the museum floor, the Electroleech turning its body back and forth to swing the bolt around to keep the keyblade wielders away from it.

"Sorry, bug boy, but you'll have to do better than _that_ to keep me away!" Maylin shouted, firing off another Blizzaga spell to counter a lightning ball that the Electroleech was now hurling.

Nick hopped off of Maylin's shoulders to slash at a tendril that was above the Electroleech's head, then turned his attention back to the Electroleech itself, rushing in to slash at its prone body and finishing off with a Ripple Drive.

"I think we're almost done here, girls!" Nick exclaimed. "Just gotta cut those last two tendrils and we can finish this thing off!"

Maylin and Haruka nodded to each other before throwing their keyblades for the remaining tendrils, the two blades spinning through the air to strike the tendrils. Before they could hit the walls, however, Maylin and Haruka called their keyblades back to their hands before throwing them again, repeating the motions for about six throws. One final throw, this time with greater force, finally did the needed damage and severed both of the remaining tendrils, causing the Electroleech to screech in agony.

Nick didn't need another tell, running over before anything else could stop him. Just as the Electroleech began to pick itself up, Nick lashed out with the finishing blow, a powerful cross-slash straight through the creature's body.

Nick retreated to safety as the Electroleech thrashed about before going limp and falling flat on its face, dissolving into nothingness.

"Enemy three down!" Maylin exclaimed. "Oh, please don't tell me this is gonna be a boss rush..."

"It seems like it..." Haruka quipped.

"I HATE boss rushes!" Maylin exclaimed as they walked through another pillar of light to the Midnight Channel's Holy Sanctuary. "I mean, I can understand if we're fighting an upgraded version of that enemy, but the same ones we've already fought?! That's stupid!"

"Just be glad you never played a Mega Man game growing up," Nick quipped as the World Balance showed up, as expected. "They _love_ boss rushes."

And so it went. In each room of the World Terminus, the trio were forced to relive a battle they had fought in each represented world, fighting the World Balance in the Midnight Channel's Holy Sanctuary, the Bone Wyvern in Rainbow Hills' City Streets, the Wild Dancer in Scuttle Town's Temple Atrium, the Imperial Beast in the Imperial Capital's Palace Gates, the Frightmare in the Canopy Kingdom's Circus Grounds, Shadow Nick in the Principality of Eylstadt's Shrouded Forest, and another Fafnir in the Blue Sky Kingdom's Dark Depths.

 **(Author's Note: I'm not gonna subject you guys to the entire boss rush. Just enough of them so you know that it** _ **was**_ **a boss rush.)**

By the time the trio had exited the World Terminus and reached the Evil Grounds, Maylin was out of breath, still counting herself lucky that her spell coins never ran out of power.

"That... was the most insane marathon I have _ever_ been a part of," Maylin gasped. "Now I remembered why I hate boss rushes."

"Hopefully it's over, though," Haruka quipped. "We've been through all the worlds we've been to."

"Let's take a break here, just in case," Nick stated. "Like I said, I think Kusumi-no-Okami's waiting for _us_ to come to _her_."

"Why do you think that is?" Maylin wondered.

"Marie might be fighting back," Nick replied. "Hopefully she hasn't lost control yet."

"Then _that's_ why she hasn't come to find us," Haruka gasped. "Marie's still there somewhere, and she's trying to keep Kusumi-no-Okami at bay until we can get there!"

"Oh, _now_ we _have_ to keep going," Maylin proclaimed. "I made Nick a promise that we wouldn't let Marie lose control of herself, and I _intend_ to _keep_ that promise!"

Their keyblades ready, the trio crossed to the Evil Grounds, which apparently was nothing more than a trippy-looking bronze sky with ominous red lines flowing across the ground.

"All right, what crappy b-movie was _this_ place pulled from?" Maylin wondered.

" _You'll accomplish nothing. That is the truth."_

Nick looked upwards and saw a large sphere descending. It radiated multiple colors, had spikes protruding from many spots on its body, and a single, malevolent eye was open on it, staring down at the trio.

"And who are _you_ supposed to be, disco eyeball?" Haruka taunted.

" _I am Ameno-Sagiri, granter of mankind's true desire."_

"I have this distinct feeling you're going to get in our way," Nick quipped, summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands.

" _As one of the avatars of the divine ruler Izanami-no-Mikoto, I have been tasked with eliminating you. Consider yourselves lucky; if you had continued this senseless journey, your death would have been agonizingly painful. I will make your death quick and painless."_

"So sorry to disappoint you, eye-boy, but we're not dying today!" Nick shot back, brandishing both keyblades. "I have someone who needs my help, and you're not gonna stop me from saving her!"

" _Very well. Death to those who walk the fool's path. Your time has come, wielders of the keyblade!"_

Ameno-Sagiri floated around, occasionally throwing powerful elemental spells to the ground and keeping the keyblade wielders from advancing any further.

"Man, this guy's wicked strong!" Maylin shouted, throwing out a Thunder spell of her own to counter a Ziodyne from Ameno-Sagiri.

After dodging through a Ziodyne and a Bufudyne, Nick leaped into the air and began slashing at Ameno-Sagiri's head, surprised to find that he had barely done any damage.

"Okay, so it's time for another rousing game of 'find the weak point', huh?" Nick quipped.

Ameno-Sagiri cast Agidyne, creating a wall of fire in front of him. _"It is foolish to advance further. Give in and spare yourself the pain."_

"Oh, SHUT UP already!" Maylin growled, casting a Blizzaga spell that pierced through the fire wall and struck Ameno-Sagiri directly in its eye, causing the creature to back off.

"Guys! Go for the eye!" Maylin shouted.

Nick immediately went on the offensive, jumping over a Garudyne spell and lashing out at Ameno-Sagiri's eye, striking quickly and fiercely before the giant disco eyeball could retaliate.

" _Why face me when you know how useless it is?"_ Ameno-Sagiri slammed itself into the ground, creating shockwaves that the trio had to jump over before they could attack the eye again.

" _Give in to the void. It is the only way."_

"I said _shut up_!" Maylin retorted, blasting Ameno-Sagiri's eye with a Firaga spell. "I'm _sick and tired_ of you stupid bad guys blabbing on and on about how you're 'so much stronger' and how 'we'll never defeat you', and look at us! We made it all the way here!"

Maylin waved Counterpoint in a rather complicated pattern, drawing a glyph around her body. Each of the symbols on said glyph expanded and began to spin around Maylin, eventually absorbing themselves into her body and causing Maylin to glow with a bright golden light.

"So maybe _you_ need a lesson about underestimating humanity's potential!" Maylin exclaimed, teleporting to Ameno-Sagiri and slashing at it with Counterpoint. As she did so, one of the glyph symbols appeared around Ameno-Sagiri. Maylin continued to teleport around and slash multiple times until Ameno-Sagiri was completely surrounded by the symbols.

Ready for the finale, Maylin hopped back and raised Counterpoint above her head. The symbols surrounding Ameno-Sagiri began to shine.

" _Mirage Burst!"_ Maylin chanted, snapping Counterpoint down and causing the symbols to explode into burst of magical power all around Ameno-Sagiri, causing immense damage.

"My turn!" Haruka proclaimed, raising Rumbling Rose.

" _You will not reconsider? Then I will grant you death."_

"O brilliant blade of coldest steel!" Haruka chanted, her eyes snapping open as she dashed forward so fast she seemed to disappear.

Ameno-Sagiri gazed around, attempting to find Haruka, until she reappeared and slashed at Ameno-Sagiri's eye.

"Rend the infinite darkness and crush my enemies to nothing!" Haruka shouted as she continued to attack fiercely, teleporting around Ameno-Sagiri with increasing frequency and delivering fierce slashes at every pass, before finishing with an uppercut that knocked Ameno-Sagiri into the air.

Not finished yet, Haruka leaped after Ameno-Sagiri, appearing just above the disco eyeball.

" _Savage Wolf Fury!"_ Haruka shouted, the blade of Rumbling Rose surrounded by light energy, as she swung it downwards, dropping a gigantic comet-shaped burst of light onto Ameno-Sagiri's eye, spiking the eyeball back to the ground and creating a massive explosion of light around it that caused even more damage.

" _Why do you fight it? To defy me is a senseless act that goes against your world's wishes to return to the chaos from which it was forged!"_

"You know what?" Nick growled. "I'm done listening to you."

With that, Nick went on a rampage, attacking with all the limits he could. Nick started with a Strike Raid from his current vantage point, taking great pleasure in "poking the eyeball", as he called it. As Ameno-Sagiri floated closer, Maylin cast Stopga and actually froze Ameno-Sagiri in time, allowing Nick to unleash an Ars Arcanum on the vulnerable eyeball, followed by a Sonic Blade and even a Ragnarok for good measure.

When the Stopga spell wore off, Ameno-Sagiri roared in agony, giving Nick a chance to run over and deliver the finishing blow, switching to the Ultima Weapon and literally stabbing it straight through Ameno-Sagiri's eye.

" _Ugh... well done. I admire your resolve. But, do not underestimate your final opponent."_

And so, Ameno-Sagiri had spoken his last, dissolving into particles of darkness that escaped into the trippy sky.

"That's another one down," Haruka laughed.

"Wait, guys," Maylin proclaimed. "Remember what happened in the Midnight Channel? How that guy who turned into Kuni-no-Sagiri disappeared after we kicked his face in, and we thought he succumbed to the darkness? What if _he_ was the other vessel, like mister disco eyeball was?!"

"I honestly don't want to think about it," Nick sighed. "Let's get moving. I've got this sickening feeling that we're running out of time."

The trio walked through a doorway that had appeared and found themselves in the Shattered Crater, a long tunnel that appeared to be littered with fragments of destroyed worlds.

"What _is_ this madness?" Maylin gasped. "Was she literally _collecting_ pieces of worlds she'd conquered as _trophies_?! That's _sick_!"

The trio eventually exited the crater and out into the Linked Worlds, a large, atrium-style room, where yet another Fafnir was waiting for them.

"Oh, come on already, how many of you freaks do we have to fight?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Let's just put him out of our misery, then," Nick proclaimed, raising his keyblade. Maylin and Haruka quickly followed suit, their keyblades touching and forming a bright sphere of golden light around them.

As the Fafnir stalked closer, the trio snapped their keyblades downwards, and the sphere of light they'd created expelled hundreds of powerful beams from itself, almost instantly slaying the Fafnir.

"There," Maylin stated.

When the Fafnir was gone, the wall at the opposite end of the room crumbled away to reveal a hole leading to the Final Rest, a small room holding a gilded door much like the one Nick had seen in his dream sequence, so long ago now.

"Okay, why is that door here?" Nick wondered. "If it was in my dream, why is it showing up here, of all places?"

"And it doesn't look like there's anywhere else to go but through that door," Haruka realized. "Maybe it's a sign that this could be the point of no return for us."

Nick instinctively re-summoned the Ultima Weapon when he heard what sounded like a voice, the same one that had guided him through the Awakening.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Nick wondered.

"Hear what?" Maylin asked. "I didn't hear anything."

"Um, voice? If you can hear me, could you repeat what you just said so we can all hear it?" Nick proclaimed. And, sure enough, the voice answered.

 _Be cautious. This is the last haven you'll find in this place. Beyond the door, there is no light to protect you. But, don't be afraid. After all, your heart is the mightiest weapon you can muster. Remember what I told you, you are the one who will open the door to the light._

"Yep, that proves that this is the point of no return," Haruka stated.

"Let's take a moment to rest, then," Maylin quipped. "We'll only go in when you're ready, Nick."

As Maylin and Haruka did a few quick stretches to relax their aching joints, Nick gazed at the door, musing on what could possibly lie beyond it.

He knew for a fact that Kusumi-no-Okami would no doubt be waiting there, at the very heart of her own darkness. But would Marie be there, too? He had no clue how long Marie could fight back.

 _I guess I'll find out soon enough, then,_ Nick thought as he glanced back at his companions.

The three of them had accomplished so much together on their adventure. But what lay beyond this door for them? Light, darkness, or simply oblivion?

One thing was for sure, though. Nick wasn't backing down now. No way in hell.

One way or another, this battle was about to end.

 _To be concluded..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Maylin: Finally, the last battle is about to begin!

Haruka: Next time, we're going through that door to face Kusumi-no-Okami and save the universe from destruction!

Nick: I don't know what'll happen when we get there, but I know we've come too far to give up now.

Maylin: Remember, Nick, we'll always be united.

Haruka: Our hearts, when as one, can never be defeated!

Nick: I couldn't have said it better myself. So let's go into the door and end this once and for all! Next time on the final episode of _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX_ , "Friends Forever"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: The worlds are our ocean!


	20. Friends Forever

Nick spared a moment to reflect on the moments he'd come to treasure on this journey, knowing there was no way to know what future awaited beyond the final door.

He had just been a normal teenager before all of this, just moving through life and trying to find his own way.

In an instant, everything had changed when the Heartless had shown up, and his normal life had been ripped away from him.

And now, here he stood, at the precipice of the heart of darkness, ready to settle the score with a divinity from the ancient times.

Nick had no idea if W.I.T.C.H. had ever faced any foe like Kusumi-no-Okami and her avatars.

All of his thoughts about what lay ahead beyond the door were compounded by one simple fact.

He was going to save Marie, no matter what happened.

"Well, how about it, fearless leader?" Maylin giggled. "Shall we open the door?"

"Yeah. Let's end this, once and for all," Nick responded, walking up to the final door.

Memories flashed through Nick's mind, of all the worlds they'd visited, the people they'd helped, the friends they'd made, and the battles they'd fought.

All of it had led up to this moment.

Nick pulled on the door's handles, forcing it open and allowing light to envelop them.

"Friends forever," Nick repeated as the light drew them inside the door. "No matter what."

* * *

(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests, the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD ReMIX  
_ **Story Created:** December 17th, 2015  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** All is well in Heatherfield in the aftermath of the battle with Nerissa, especially after dealing with Will's distrustful father. But when a strange event occurs and swallows Heatherfield in darkness, the Guardians of the Veil are informed of an ancient evil that is plotting to take over the many worlds that exist out there. Now, W.I.T.C.H., alongside their new friend who has been gifted with a strange weapon, must journey through the worlds in hopes of restoring Heatherfield to its former glory. But what strange, devious plots will they uncover along the way? Will the Guardians ever reach home? And most importantly, what is the secret behind Nick's new weapon, the keyblade?

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick, Maylin, and Haruka enter the final door to come face-to-face with Kusumi-no-Okami, ready to stifle her plans of reviving Izanami-no-Mikoto for good. Still, the divine ruler is a foe unlike anything the trio has yet faced. It's going to take everything they've got, all the skills they've learned, to stand a chance of victory. Can our heroes come out on top in this, the final battle for the fate of everything that ever was and ever will be?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing. That also goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. And I am not infringing on any copyrights (not anymore). I'm just doing this for the entertainment of my readers. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 20: Friends Forever (final episode)

Nick didn't know what he was expecting when he was able to see again. But of all the possibilities, he hadn't expected to end up in Heatherfield.

"W-what the hell?" Nick gasped. "Are we... are we back home?"

"I was gonna ask that myself," Maylin quipped. "Why are we in Heatherfield? I thought it had been swallowed by darkness..."

"And for that matter, where _is_ everybody?" Haruka asked. "This place turned into a ghost town or something."

"Come on, let's look around," Nick stated.

Their first stop was Sheffield Institute, naturally, as it was where Nick had been when the Heartless had invaded. Now, instead of the looming front gates of the school, the way inside was blocked by a larger version of the gilded door they had arrived in.

"Um... is that normal?" Maylin asked.

Nick walked up to the door to investigate, but a powerful tremor stopped him from proceeding any further.

 _This world has been connected._

The words of the figure in the brown hood from _that_ day rang in Nick's mind, and he summoned the Ultima Weapon just as the ground around the school cracked and fractured, separating Sheffield Institute and its property from the rest of the city.

 _Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed._

A cluster of buildings to the east faded into nothing but rubble and debris.

 _There is so very much to learn. You understand so little of what this will mean._

"Show yourself!" Nick shouted as the 'island' they were on began to rise into the sky, completely cut off from the now ruined city of Heatherfield.

 _A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing._

When the voice faded, only a few 'islands' were remaining of Heatherfield, along with the school, the admittedly gigantic park area, and a few very specific houses. Everything below those 'islands' were now nothing but a dark purple sea, almost resembling purple slime in its composition.

"I don't like this," Maylin quipped, summoning Counterpoint.

Nick turned around and saw Marie standing at the very edge of the cracked ground near the edge of their 'island'. She didn't appear to have noticed them, but was wearing the dark outfit she'd gained before their battle in the Blue Sky Kingdom.

Not sure if his eyes were deceiving him or not, Nick took a few cautious steps towards Marie.

"M-Marie?" Nick asked.

"Take a look at this tiny place," Marie proclaimed, speaking with Kusumi-no-Okami's voice. "To a heart seeking acceptance, this city was a prison, surrounded by buildings. And so, she began to think of a way to be accepted. Not knowing if she belonged anywhere, she began searching for a truth she could never find. And she opened her heart to darkness."

Marie turned around, her body fading into Kusumi-no-Okami's body as she did so.

"Marie!" Nick called out.

"Don't even bother," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed. "Your voice can no longer reach her where she is. Your sibling's heart belongs again to darkness."

"What was that?" Maylin growled.

"All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end," Kusumi-no-Okami stated, floating a few feet off the ground. "The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it. It grows and consumes it. Such is its nature, am I right? In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came."

Kusumi-no-Okami raised her right hand to the sky. "For you see, darkness is the heart's _true_ essence."

" _You're lying!"_ Nick, Maylin and Haruka shouted at the same time.

"Yeah, the heart can be weak," Maylin admitted.

"And it does give in sometimes," Haruka stated.

"But we've learned that deep down, there's a light that can _never_ be extinguished," Nick proclaimed. "How do you think we made it this far, after all?"

Kusumi-no-Okami simply laughed softly. "So, you have come all this way, and _still_ you understand nothing."

Kusumi-no-Okami raised her hands, darkness gathering into a strange form behind her.

"Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"

The darkness behind Kusumi-no-Okami congregated into a muscular Heartless that resembled the Darkside that Nick had fought so long ago.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Marie!" Nick shouted, leaping through the air to strike at Kusumi-no-Okami, only for the Guardian to appear in front of her, shielding her from Nick's incoming attack.

Maylin took this time to slip behind Kusumi-no-Okami and blast her in the back with a Thunder spell, temporarily forcing the Guardian to disappear.

"Yeah, not so high and mighty without your precious meat shield, are you?!" Maylin cackled.

"Do not underestimate me," Kusumi-no-Okami proclaimed, her eyes flashing and freezing Maylin in her spot. "Or you shall fall, as millions before you have!"

Kusumi-no-Okami re-summoned her Guardian, and it lashed out to smash Maylin into the ground with a vicious overhead slam.

If Haruka was angry at this, Nick was downright pissed, dashing in while Kusumi-no-Okami was distracted to flay her with an Ars Arcanum, the final strike knocking Kusumi-no-Okami back a few feet.

The Guardian retaliated by swinging it hands rapidly and firing energy discs at Nick, who simply cast Reflect to block the discs before firing back with a Blizzaga spell. The Guardian simply moved forward to tank the spell, but Nick took the time to race over to where Maylin had been spiked into the ground, casting Curaga on her to bring her back to fighting strength.

"Ah, thanks, buddy," Maylin giggled, kissing Nick on the cheek. "Now stand back and watch me fry this bitch."

Maylin readied a spell coin she'd often told herself never to use unless it was an emergency, and she thought this was a pretty good time to use it.

"Please," Kusumi-no-Okami cackled. "Have you forgotten the last attempt?"

"You've never seen magic like this!" Maylin shot back. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDAJA!"

Maylin struck the spell coin with Counterpoint, creating a ring of electricity around Kusumi-no-Okami. Seven bolts of lightning converged on Kusumi-no-Okami, shocking her repeatedly, before a wicked lightning bolt dropped from above her and knocked Kusumi-no-Okami to the ground.

"Don't _ever_ mess with the best!" Maylin laughed.

"You just do not wish to submit," Kusumi-no-Okami stated. "Very well, then I will _make_ you!"

Kusumi-no-Okami put her Guardian in front of herself and rocketed forward like lightning, attacking with each pass she made. Nick and Maylin cast Reflega, their fully-powered Reflect spell, to survive the onslaught, while Haruka performed one cartwheel after another to avoid the dash attacks until Kusumi-no-Okami resumed her normal stance.

"Foolish mortals," Kusumi-no-Okami stated. "Are you really in such a rush to die?"

"I told you, I'm not stopping until I have Marie back!" Nick shouted. "So how about you put your Guardian thing where your big, fat mouth is?!"

Nick leaped at Kusumi-no-Okami to deal an overhead strike, and this forced Kusumi-no-Okami back and caused her to retreat to another island.

"After her!" Nick shouted, and he rushed across an energy bridge to the next island, though Maylin and Haruka were bounced back by a barrier that had inexplicably formed.

Kusumi-no-Okami floated there, her hand raised and a large pool of darkness forming on the center of the island. To Nick's surprise, a Darkside crawled out from the portal, its bright yellow eyes already trained on Nick.

"Oh, you again," Nick proclaimed. "Well, I'm a lot stronger than last time, so let's just _see_ how this one's going to end!"

Nick rushed in to attack Darkside, unaware that Kusumi-no-Okami was fleeing somewhere else.

Darkside clutched its palm, gathering energy into its hands before firing it in the form of multiple dark spheres, all of them aimed at Nick.

Nick just scoffed and cast Reflega, harmlessly dissipating each of the spheres before moving in for another attack.

Nick brought the Ultima Weapon up to parry a punch attack, but didn't expect Darkside to then throw a punch with its other arm. Nick barely got his keyblade up in time to block the second strike.

"Still playing dirty, eh?" Nick stated, waiting for Darkside to start moving again; he'd noticed that after every two or three attacks, Darkside just stood there for a few moments, as if it needed to rest.

After a couple seconds, Darkside decided to throw another punch, but this one Nick decided to jump backwards from, and this caused Darkside's arm to get stuck in the ground.

Sensing his opportunity, Nick hopped onto Darkside's hand and began to run along its arm to the creature's face, where Nick was free to lay into Darkside's face, ending with a jumping slash that cut through Darkside's head, immediately causing the gargantuan Heartless to explode into wisps of darkness.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Nick proclaimed.

"Nick, _get over there_ and stop that bitch!" Maylin screamed, pointing to another island where Kusumi-no-Okami was rising into the air, two more bodies following closely behind her.

 _Oh, crap, she was stalling for time!_ Nick thought. _And I got played like a dingus!_

"At long last, it is time for the final union!" Kusumi-no-Okami exclaimed. "After millenia upon millenia of fruitless waiting, I will finally reunite with my avatars and bring divine destruction upon this pitiful multiverse!"

Namatame's body transformed into Kuni-no-Sagiri, and Adachi's body transformed into Ameno-Sagiri. Kusumi-no-Okami placed herself between them and began drawing the avatars towards her, eventually uniting with them and causing a great darkness to surround her body.

"At last, I am complete!" Kusumi-no-Okami shouted, her voice beginning to change. "Let the true darkness wash over everything!"

The darkness spread out from Kusumi-no-Okami and covered everything that could be seen faster than was humanly possible.

When Nick trusted himself enough to open his eyes, he could see nothing but darkness around him.

To his relief, Maylin and Haruka were standing right next to him, just as confused as he was.

Nick suddenly felt an immense darkness coming from nearby. He looked up, and far off from them, standing next to a gigantic door, was a massive creature that looked like it had been stuck rotting in the earth for many years, a disease and filth-ridden creature with many tendrils and tentacles.

"I am Izanami-no-Mikoto, the divine ruler of the heavens," the creature proclaimed. "Now, I am complete, and all will be enshrouded in darkness."

"Where did you take us?!" Maylin shouted.

"Behold, the never-ending abyss," Izanami-no-Mikoto stated, its bulbous head gesturing to the door that stood behind it. "Within this great darkness lies the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts!"

"Wait, so we're standing next to Kingdom Hearts itself?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Precisely," Izanami-no-Mikoto replied. "Look as hard as you possibly can with your feeble human eyes. You will not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From these depths of darkness are all hearts born. Even yours."

Izanami-no-Mikoto spread its arms outwards, causing tremors to rock the realm.

"DARKNESS CONQUERS ALL WORLDS!" Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed.

"Not while we're still breathing!" Nick shouted, bringing the Ultima Weapon into a fighting stance.

"Do you not understand how utterly pointless your struggle is?" Izanami-no-Mikoto cackled, waving her tendrils and creating powerful barriers around her. "My divine beauty encompasses all that is, ever was, and ever will be."

"I wouldn't call _that_ beauty, freak show," Maylin groaned.

"You dare to defy me?" Izanami-no-Mikoto sighed. "Then you will suffer for your insolence!"

A storm cloud appeared above the trio, barely giving them any time to react before dropping what might have been thousands of bolts of divine lightning down on top of them.

"Fat chance, freak show!"

A wide field of magic surrounded the trio, protecting them from the barrage of divine lightning.

Nick was the first to notice Izetta floating just behind them, riding on her rifle as always.

"I-Izetta?!" Nick exclaimed. "H-How'd _you_ get here?!"

"Not a clue," Izetta admitted. "I got caught in some kind of dark storm, and then I heard a voice that guided me here. It was saying you needed some help."

"Well, it couldn't have come at a better time, says this observer!" Maylin exclaimed.

"What is _this_?" Izanami-no-Mikoto gasped. "My darkness has consumed all worlds by now! How did you manage to escape?"

"You should probably ask that about _all of us_ , zombie-face!"

A large dual energy blast shot out from the shadows and crashed into Izanami-no-Mikoto's barrier, revealing that all four members of Team RWBY had shown up as well.

"Hey, guys, the cavalry's here!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We got summoned by the same light that brought Izetta here," Weiss proclaimed.

"And we figured you'd need some assistance," Blake stated.

"Aren't you glad we showed up?" Yang giggled.

"I will not have this nonsense!" Izanami-no-Mikoto shouted, launching a tendril towards Nick, only for Mira to dash up and throw a right hook into the tendril, stopping it cold.

"You keep your hands off of my friend!" Mira shouted.

"That goes for us, too!" a multitude of voices proclaimed before firing off a barrage of Agidyne, Ziodyne, Garudyne, and Bufudyne spells that all battered against the barrier.

"Did someone call for the army?" Yosuke laughed.

"We wouldn't just leave you guys in the lurch!" Chie exclaimed.

"Friends help each other out, right?" Yukiko proclaimed.

"It's time to _bear_ down on your sorry butt!" Teddie stated, striking a heroic pose.

"We've defeated worse than you, freak show!" Rise shouted.

"And rest assured, we're gonna _renovate_ your ass for what you've done!" Kanji shouted.

"This puerile nonsense of yours ends right here and now!" Naoto proclaimed.

"It's the truth," Yu stated. "You're not getting away."

"Holy crap, the reinforcements are showing up!" Maylin exclaimed. "But who brought them here?"

"I bet it was the Oracle," Haruka stated. "Leave it to Himerish to come through in a pinch, eh?"

"Even your precious Oracle cannot help you now," Izanami-no-Mikoto cackled. "Candracar may not have been swallowed yet, but it is only a matter of time, after all."

" _Glitter Force Makeover!"_

"Oh, wow, even the Glitter Force is helping out!" Haruka shouted as the Glitter Force came running to the scene.

"So am I!" Shantae proclaimed, already whipping her ponytail out in a direct threat to Izanami-no-Mikoto.

"Us as well!" Squigly shouted.

"Squigly!" Maylin exclaimed. "How did you get here? I thought you were dead!"

"I thought so, too," Squigly admitted. "But a light guided me and Leviathan here, and even though I am sure this resurrection is only temporary, I will use the time I have to assist you in bringing down this monstrosity!"

"Enough!" Izanami-no-Mikoto shouted, actually creating a Darkside and launching it for the group, only for Akame to jump out of the darkness and destroy the Darkside with one slash from Murasame.

"You've gone far enough," Akame proclaimed. "To protect my kingdom, I must destroy you, too."

"Hey, don't leave us out of the fun!" Cure Lovely exclaimed as she and the rest of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures raced to join the group.

Nick smiled at all of his friends from the worlds they'd been to joining them in their fight. Summoning the Ultima Weapon to his hands, he turned back to where Izanami-no-Mikoto was waiting.

"You see, Izanami-no-Mikoto, _this_ is what I was talking about when it comes to the light that can never be extinguished," Nick proclaimed. "My strength comes from my friends, the people who believe in me."

Nick raised the Ultima Weapon, ready for the fight of his life. "My friends are my power! And you're about to get a first-hand look at that power! _This battle ends right here and now!_ "

"Then, so be it," Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed.

"All right, first order of business," Weiss stated. "I believe we need to break her barriers if we want a shot at attacking the main body."

"Okay, but how do we bust that shield, then?" Ruby wondered. "I don't think just attacking it repeatedly is gonna do it..."

Izanami-no-Mikoto swung one of her tendrils and fired a dark lightning bolt straight for Team RWBY, only for Blake to jump in the bolt's path and create a shadow clone to absorb the attack. Acting quickly, Blake added some special Dust that Weiss had given to her, and the shadow clone exploded, throwing the lightning bolt back at Izanami-no-Mikoto and shattering the closest barrier.

"Oh, so we gotta play tennis with her, eh?" Yang laughed.

Nick rushed towards Izanami-no-Mikoto, lashing out with the Ultima Weapon and attacking in the spot that had been exposed, intending to do as much damage to this monster as he could.

After a few more swings, Izanami-no-Mikoto reeled back, howling in agony. _Yes, we're doing something right here!_ Nick thought.

"How _dare_ you," Izanami-no-Mikoto growled. "I am the supreme ruler of this entire reality! I once commanded mighty legions of darkness to run over anyone who dares oppose me!"

"Oh, _shut up_!" Mira exclaimed, weaving around Nick to throw a punch at Izanami-no-Mikoto's weak spot, which did quite a bit of damage thanks to Mira's android strength.

"Even _you_ oppose me, automaton?" Izanami-no-Mikoto exclaimed.

"She's a _girl_ , thank you very much!" Nick shouted, echoing Mira's words to Kyoma as he slashed at the exposed core a few more times, finally shattering it and bringing down another of Izanami-no-Mikoto's barriers.

Nick and Mira quickly retreated back to the rest of the group to avoid the shockwave that Izanami-no-Mikoto unleashed.

"Okay, we're making progress here," Nick stated. "Who'd like to go next?"

"Me, me, me!" Chie exclaimed, summoning her upgraded Persona, Suzuka Gongen, as Izanami-no-Mikoto shambled closer. Chie once again began performing random martial arts moves (even a few pulled right from Bruce Lee himself, Nick noted) and Suzuka Gongen replicated them, landing blow after blow on the next barrier even as Izanami-no-Mikoto attempted to weather the barrage.

"How is it you are able to damage me so?" Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed as Yosuke went to work with his own Persona, Susanoo-o, firing off a barrage of Garudyne spells. It seemed that this particular barrier was weak to magical attacks. "I am the divine ruler! You cannot hurt me with your own _mortal_ strength!"

"Maybe, but I know the reason," Nick taunted. "Marie's fighting back. That's why you're not at your full power, because my sister's still there."

"The girl?!" Izanami-no-Mikoto shouted, only to be blasted in the face by a missile fired from Kamui, Teddie's upgraded Persona.

Yukiko raised her hands, and her upgraded Persona, Amaterasu, did the same. "Now fall with the petals!" Yukiko shouted as she unleashed her Burning Petals spell, a vortex of fire exploding around Izanami-no-Mikoto and shattering the barrier, allowing Nick to run over and get a few hits in before the barrier renewed itself.

"Now let's get to the renovation!" Kanji shouted, his upgraded Persona, Rokuten Maoh, casting a barrage of Ziodyne spells at the barrier.

"Right behind you, Kanji-kun!" Naoto exclaimed, casting a Mahamaon spell from her upgraded Persona, Yamato-Takeru, surrounding Izanami-no-Mikoto with bursts of holy light one after the other.

Once again, the barrier shattered, and Nick went in to attack, only to be quickly pushed back by a concussive blast from Izanami-no-Mikoto's tendrils.

"You understand _nothing_!" Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed. "It is fate that this and all worlds be drowned in darkness! You cannot change that fate!"

"Oh, just put a cork in it!" Glitter Sunny shouted.

"Why do you think we're fighting?" Glitter Peace exclaimed. "So we can create our own destinies!"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that the story's never over _until it's over_?" Glitter Lucky laughed.

"Fools, every last one of you!" Izanami-no-Mikoto exclaimed, though she had to shield her eyes from the blinding light of the Glitter Force ascending to their Princess Forms.

"We promised to protect the world from a bad ending, and if we have to go through you to do that, then we will!" Glitter Breeze exclaimed.

"After everything we've been through together, we'd _never_ lie down and submit to whatever twisted fate you have in store!" Glitter Spring shouted.

" _Royal Rainbow Burst!"_ the Glitter Force shouted, combining their powers to create a massive energy unicorn that fired an immense beam of rainbow light from its horn, blasting at Izanami-no-Mikoto and causing quite a toll of damage.

Nick was already on the move before the Royal Rainbow Burst had even been fired, slashing at Izanami-no-Mikoto's exposed weak spot with the Ultima Weapon until it collapsed into shrouds of darkness.

"This... this cannot be..." Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed, restoring her barrier.

"Oh, give it a rest," Shantae stated. "I've already heard enough of your nonsense. It's bad enough I have to listen to Risky's long-winded speeches."

Shantae performed her magic dance, transforming into a harpy and flying over to Nick so she could lift him into the air and fly above Izanami-no-Mikoto.

"All right, drop!" Nick shouted when they were directly over Izanami-no-Mikoto, in the one place her barriers weren't up. Shantae nodded and let go so Nick could dive down and slash at Izanami-no-Mikoto's head a few times, leaping back to avoid retaliation.

Izanami-no-Mikoto slammed two of its tendrils into the ground, summoning a horde of Neoshadows.

"Now go and destroy them all!" Izanami-no-Mikoto proclaimed, only to gasp in shock when Akame dashed into the horde and began to strike out with Murasame, wiping out the Neoshadows easily.

"Underestimating me is literally the last mistake you'll ever make," Akame responded, crackling a smile as she made a spectacular leap through the air to slash through the barrier, giving Nick another opportunity to land a few strikes.

"Let us put this malodorous monster down, my lady," Leviathan proclaimed.

"Certainly we shall," Squigly replied as Leviathan expanded to a humanoid form.

"Wretched zombie!" Izanami-no-Mikoto shouted. "You should stay dead where you belong!"

A ring of electricity formed in the air above Squigly, but Maylin was faster on the draw, casting Reflega above Squigly to protect her from the lightning blast.

"Now pass away! INFERNO OF LEVIATHAN!" Squigly and Leviathan proclaimed together as Leviathan fired a large beam from his gaping maw, blasting Izanami-no-Mikoto in the face and forcing the great demon back.

Izanami-no-Mikoto roared in outrage and began to charge forward, only to be kept at bay by explosive shots from Izetta's rifle.

"You're the one who summoned that phantom thing and almost killed my princess, aren't you?" Izetta growled. "Then you'd better be ready to say your prayers!"

As Izetta continued to fire on Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures focused their own power and ascended to their Innocent Forms.

"Let's finish this, guys!" Cure Lovely shouted as all five Pretty Cures flew into the air, turning into streaks of light that spiraled upwards through space, eventually creating a Spirit Bomb-esque ball of magic. A second later, the sphere of magic shattered, and all five Pretty Cures thundered out from it, sparkling afterimages trailing behind them as they flew.

" _Pretty Cure Innocent Harmony!"_ the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures shouted as they shot at the creature, each one creating a powerful impact and covering Izanami-no-Mikoto in a bright dome of energy when they landed. As each Pretty Cure shot down to add to the attack, the energy dome expanded and changed color, until Cure Lovely was the last to attack, shooting straight down into the center of the dome, causing the energy within to explode outwards in a great burst of light.

Izanami-no-Mikoto slumped to the ground, though she attempted to pick herself back up. "You... you will never..."

"For the last freakin' time, _shut your mouth!_ " Maylin exclaimed, blasting Izanami-no-Mikoto with a Thunder spell just to shut her up. "We've had it with you thinking you're the supreme power in this reality _when you're not_!"

"Just accept the fact that you're not as powerful as you'd like to believe you are!" Haruka shouted, rushing in to bash Izanami-no-Mikoto across the head with Rumbling Rose. "You've lost because you can't control your own body! How's that for ironic?!"

As Izanami-no-Mikoto attempted to rise to her full height, Nick noticed that a glowing keyhole had appeared on her chest. Knowing what this could probably mean, Nick raised the Ultima Weapon and fired a beam of light into the keyhole, causing Izanami-no-Mikoto to rise, only to seize up and freeze completely, only a few twitches of her body showing any form of movement.

"Did... did we do it?" Maylin wondered.

Before anyone could get their bearings, a pool of darkness opened in front of Izanami-no-Mikoto, and a figure pulled itself out.

Nick blinked a few times, hoping his eyes weren't deceiving him this time. Marie was standing there, her eyes closed and her hand twitching slightly.

Deciding to take a chance, Nick took a few steps forward, only to hear a voice resound in his head.

 _Nick? Can you hear me?_

"Marie? Please tell me that's you that's talking to me," Nick asked.

 _Heh. Yeah, it's me. Listen, I don't have much time. When you unlocked that keyhole thing, I managed to get some control back, but I don't know how long I can hold on to that control._

"What do you want me to do, sis?" Nick wondered.

Marie's next words shocked Nick to his very core, even causing his keyblade to disappear.

 _I want you to destroy me._

"WHAT?! Marie, are you out of your mind?!" Nick exclaimed. "I spent this entire damn adventure trying to find you! I already lost you once, and I don't want to lose you again!"

 _Nick, please. If my control slips, little miss demon is gonna reach her full power and then she'll wipe you all out. I don't want to put you through that. The only way you're gonna beat her for good is if you take me out. Without one of her vessels, she won't be anywhere near her full power. You can destroy her easily if that happens._

Nick just stood there, unwilling to accept that things had to end this way.

 _Nick, what's wrong?_

"I... How can you expect me to just _kill_ you, Marie?" Nick responded, a few tears falling from his eyes. "You're my sister, you're my _family_. I spent so long trying to find you so I'd never lose you again, and now I find out the only way to save everything that's ever existed is to _kill my only sister?!_ What do you _expect_ me to say to that?!"

Nick suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Maylin.

"It's what she wants, Nick," Maylin stated. "She'd rather be taken down by someone she loves than let this demon destroy all of existence."

"Think of it this way, Nick," Haruka continued. "She's still suffering at the hands of Izanami-no-Mikoto. By doing this, you're breaking the shackles that are keeping her in this misery."

 _Nick, they're right. I don't want to live like this, trapped in the body of an abomination, and if death is the only alternative..._

Nick didn't respond, still trying to rationalize a way to do this without having to sacrifice Marie, but continually coming up with nothing.

"There _is_ no other way, is there?"

 _I'd rather it be this way, letting someone I dearly love do the deed. You're the only one I'd allow, Nick, and that's why I'm asking that you put an end to me._

His mind made up, Nick summoned the Oathkeeper to his right hand.

"All right, then," Nick sighed. "If there truly is no other way..."

 _If you see mom and dad... tell them I'm sorry, okay? Please don't be sad, big bro. I love you, and I always will._

Having heard exactly what he needed to hear, Nick was finally able to accept that Marie wanted this, and she had given him her express permission to carry the deed out.

But as Nick raised the Oathkeeper to just get it over with, the pool of darkness surrounding Marie suddenly pulsed, unfurling dark tendrils to restrain her unmoving body and wrap around her, eventually forming into an armor suit stained almost as black as the void they were standing in. A completely blackened version of the Kingdom Key flashed into Marie's right hand.

"What the hell?!" Maylin shouted. "I thought that demon freak was stunned!"

"She's probably exerting the little control she has right now," Haruka admitted. "I knew this wasn't going to be that easy..."

Armored Nightmare Marie took a few steps out of the pool of darkness as it vanished, and raised her keyblade towards Nick.

"I understand, Marie," Nick stated, bringing the Oathkeeper into a fighting stance.

"You guys should probably hang back," Maylin proclaimed to the large group behind her. "I can feel it in my heart that Nick wants to do this alone."

"Hey, we're not gonna stop him," Chie quipped. "If it's that personal, we'll let him take care of business."

Nick looked at Armored Nightmare Marie, noting that he couldn't see her eyes anymore through the armor, and realized that this was the last time he'd ever see anything of her.

"I love you, Marie," Nick sighed before charging forward.

Armored Nightmare Marie lashed out with an incredibly fast combo, almost giving Nick no time to block or parry. Nick rolled away from an overhead swing, then struck with three quick slashes before backing away, unaware of what his possessed sister was now capable of.

This was quickly proven when Armored Nightmare Marie became a strange liquid substance and sunk into the floor of the void. Nick swept his gaze around, hoping for a telltale sign, only for Armored Nightmare Marie to emerge just below him and knock him into the air with a powerful uppercut from her keyblade, swirls of darkness dragging him further into the air.

Nick wasn't discouraged, spinning into a Hurricane Period straight down, pushing Armored Nightmare Marie back a couple feet. Nick considered casting a Thunder spell, but decided against it, realizing that magic probably wasn't going to help him unless it was a healing spell.

As Armored Nightmare Marie stalked closer, Nick leapt to meet her head-on, their keyblades clashing again and again until Nick could find an opening, blasting Armored Nightmare Marie back with a Ripple Drive, only for her to dash right back into the fray with a windmill spin that Nick just barely dodged.

Lightning suddenly surrounded Armored Nightmare Marie, and she rushed in and started swinging her keyblade with a ferocity unlike any Nick had ever seen. Nick was forced to perform extremely quick dodges and jukes just to stay on the move, but one of Armored Nightmare Marie's wild slashes eventually clipped his shoulder and dropped his guard. Armored Nightmare Marie took full advantage of this, hammering Nick with a frenzy of slashes not unlike Ars Arcanum.

Eventually, Nick was able to swing Oathkeeper up and parry one of the attacks, pushing Armored Nightmare Marie back so he could cast Curaga on himself to get back into the fight.

Armored Nightmare Marie just nodded and began swinging her keyblade so hard that it tossed discs of dark energy at Nick, similar to Strike Raid. Nick cast Reflega to block the ones he could while simply dodging the rest and waiting for Armored Nightmare Marie to stop so he could move in.

Armored Nightmare Marie attempted a low slash, but Nick leaped over the attack and struck three times, driving Armored Nightmare Marie to the floor with a Gravity Break. Knowing what was coming, Nick backed away as Armored Nightmare Marie planted her keyblade into the floor, sending out short-range concussive bursts of darkness, most likely meant as a counterattack.

Armored Nightmare Marie turned into a liquid substance again and melted into the floor, turning the dark void completely white. Nick steeled himself as she emerged from the floor, flashes of darkness following her as she moved. Nick swung out to meet the attack, but she simply melted back into the ground and reappeared behind Nick, swinging her keyblade. Nick was ready this time, lashing out with Oathkeeper to parry the strike.

Armored Nightmare Marie simply melted back into the ground, coming up from the center of their battlefield and rising high into the sky. She aimed her keyblade downwards and shot four large spheres of darkness down to the arena, which started bouncing around in erratic patterns. Nick cast Reflega, hoping the barrier would hold against the attack, satisfied when it did. Armored Nightmare Marie dropped back to the floor, the void returning to its mostly black state.

After avoiding another frenzy of slashes, Nick leaped over Armored Nightmare Marie, slashing at its backside before retreating to avoid the counterattack. Armored Nightmare Marie leaped over Nick, swinging her keyblade and causing blobs of darkness to rain across the battlefield. Nick cast Thundaga, the bolts dissipating most of the blobs.

Nick again pressed his advantage while Armored Nightmare Marie was coming down from her attack, landing at least three clean hits before Armored Nightmare Marie melted into the floor again, the void shifting to white once more.

This time, Armored Nightmare Marie launched a larger orb of darkness into the center of the arena that split into multiple dark shockwaves upon contact with the ground. Nick was forced to leap over the shockwaves, leaving himself open for Armored Nightmare Marie to rush into him, delivering super-speed dash attacks in the same vein as Sonic Blade.

After a few more attacks, Armored Nightmare Marie jumped back into the air, aiming her keyblade forward before firing dark lasers from its teeth, similar to Ragnarok. Nick quickly cast Curaga to heal his wounds before casting Reflega to block the lasers.

Nick began to circle Armored Nightmare Marie, knowing that he had to end this battle quickly, before Izanami-no-Mikoto could retake full control. Still, this was going to be the hardest to actually do.

Armored Nightmare Marie seemed to pick up on Nick's distress, spinning around him and surrounding him with dark orbs. Nick ducked just in time, as the dark orbs converged into a larger sphere that exploded where Nick had just been.

Finally, Nick decided that it was time to end this fight, charging forward with all the speed he could muster. Armored Nightmare Marie began firing off more dark lasers and dark blobs, but Nick took all of them without flinching or stopping, knowing that this would be his only chance.

Armored Nightmare Marie attempted to strike Nick with an overhead swing, but Nick ripped forward with a Zantetsuken, an unbelievably strong forward chop attack, and all was still for a few seconds.

Armored Nightmare Marie fell to her knees, her armor shattering to reveal Marie herself. Nick quickly spun around and caught Marie before she could hit the ground.

Marie could barely open her eyes anymore, her vision going blurry quickly.

"S-See, Nick? I knew you could do it," Marie sighed.

"I can't believe you can even joke right now," Nick laughed, though in truth, he was so close to a nervous breakdown.

"That's... just how I've always been, I guess..." Marie admitted. "I could always... see the light in the darkness... how ironic that I fell to the darkness when I stopped being able to see it..."

Nick now noticed that Marie's body was slightly transparent and growing more so quickly.

"Nick, despite my doubts... despite everything... I still consider you my family..." Marie stated. "No matter what I said... no matter what that freak show made me say... I never stopped believing in you..."

Marie reached out to touch Nick's cheek with her free hand. "So... please stay strong. Don't be sad for me, okay? My role... my role's done..."

Marie smiled at Nick, a positively beaming smile for someone who was about to die. "But you still have an annoyingly long life to live. As long as you keep me in your heart..."

Nick gasped in shock when he saw Marie begin to fade away. "M-Marie... there was still so much we were going to do... we were gonna visit that carnival you always loved, go to the homecoming football game and watch Sheffield _crush_ those uptown snobs..."

As Nick rambled on, he barely noticed his voice slipping and becoming more desperate-sounding, as if his mind was still trying to deny what was happening.

Marie, despite her fading strength, pushed herself up on her own arms to kiss Nick on the cheek, perhaps as a final goodbye.

"Just keep me in your heart, Nick. That's... all I could ever ask for..."

Nick just nodded, tears almost completely clouding his vision now.

"I... I love you, Marie."

"I love you, too, Nick. I always have. And... I... always... will..."

With this, Marie had spoken her last, collapsing into Nick's arms and disappearing completely, all that remained being little particles of light that swirled around Nick before fading away. All that was left was the black Kingdom Key that Marie had wielded, the blackness fading away and leaving it just a normal Kingdom Key, like Nick's had been.

Izanami-no-Mikoto began to shake violently as her body started erupting with flashes of both light and darkness. Everyone present had to avert their eyes as Izanami-no-Mikoto's body tore itself apart in a monumental explosion of energy, briefly lighting up the pitch-black darkness around them.

When the light faded and darkness settled back into the endless void, all that remained was Mariko Kusumi, clutching her wounded chest tightly and struggling to breathe.

"And just one remains," Maylin proclaimed, summoning Counterpoint and readying her spell coins.

"Impossible..." Mariko gasped. "How can the divine ruler be so easily defeated?"

"I am _literally_ two seconds from waltzing over there and tearing your head off with my damn bare hands," Nick growled. "So watch your mouth, bitch."

"Even so, it... is futile," Mariko wheezed. "The keyblade alone... cannot seal the door to darkness..."

Mariko turned to the great door not too far away from her. "Hear me, o great Kingdom Hearts! Fill me... fill my very soul... with the grand power of darkness!"

The door to Kingdom Hearts slowly opened, and sure enough, darkness began to seep from the cracks in the door.

"Yes, yes! Supreme darkness is mine!" Mariko exclaimed.

"You're wrong again," Nick shot back, finally able to find the feeling in his legs to stand up and glare at Mariko.

"I know now, without a shred of doubt in my heart," Nick proclaimed. "Kingdom Hearts... is _light_!"

As if in response to Nick's proclamation, the darkness retreated back into the door, and a great light burst through the door, completely enveloping Mariko's body.

"Light... but... but _why_?!" where Mariko Kusumi's last words as everything she was, heart, body, and soul, was overwhelmed and utterly destroyed by the light of Kingdom Hearts.

"We need to get over there and close that door," Maylin proclaimed. "Despite that light show, I can sense _a lot_ of darkness trying to get out! So let's hurry it up!"

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka brandished their keyblades and charged towards the door to Kingdom Hearts, already pushing against the edges of the door to get it closed before the darkness within could escape.

"These stupid doors won't budge!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Keep pushing!" Maylin shouted.

Nick dared to sneak a glance at what was beyond the door, and almost collapsed in shock when he saw what must have seven or eight Darksides waiting for them.

"Oh, god, this is hopeless!" Maylin growled.

 **("Magic!" by Mayumi Iizuka plays)**

Just as Maylin said that, the numerous Darksides were quickly destroyed by a blinding flash of light.

"Okay, what just happened?" Haruka asked.

The same bright flash that had slain the Darksides came to a rest on one of the raised hills in the dark landscape, and from that light emerged Elyon Portrait, the high queen of Metamoor and the Light of Meridian.

"W-what?! Your Majesty?!" Maylin shouted.

To everyone's surprise, Elyon summoned a keyblade to her right hand. It resembled Nick's old Kingdom Key, except this keyblade, _Starlight_ , had a deep, pastel blue guard, a deep indigo handle, and a light-blue blade with a spike and a star at the end of the bar.

"All right, you guys, let's close this door for good!" Elyon exclaimed.

"But what about you, your majesty?" Haruka shouted. "You'll be stuck there!"

"I'm not about to leave my kingdom," Elyon replied. "I found my way here, and I know my keyblade will lead me back."

Nick raised the Kingdom Key that Marie had wielded to the sky, lights and stars gathering around the teeth. Elyon did the same, spinning Starlight for a second before raising it to the sky.

Two bright flashes erupted from both sides of the door, and light energy began to surround the door. Elyon quickly made her way out just before the doors could close on her, now just watching as the door to Kingdom Hearts vanished completely, causing a shower of stars to launch into the sky of the dark void.

"Oh, jeez, what _now_?!" Maylin shouted.

"Wait, those stars! They're all the worlds that have been taken by the Heartless!" Haruka exclaimed. "Closing Kingdom Hearts off from the darkness must be what restored them!"

"So, I guess that means _we're_ all going back, too?" Ruby asked.

"Most likely," Haruka answered. "I'm pretty sure the Oracle brought you here just to help us out, and now that everything's been settled, it's time for all of us to go home, where we belong."

Nick couldn't muster up the strength to wave to all of his friends as the light consumed them, still heartbroken over losing Marie.

"Come on, buddy, say goodbye to all the happy people!" Maylin giggled.

"We saved the universe, Nick," Haruka stated. "I think it's what Marie would have wanted."

 **("Hikari" by Utada Hikaru plays)**

And with that, Nick was finally able to lift his head and smile to all of the friends he'd made on his journey. They were all extremely supportive, knowing that he had just gone through something that no one should ever have to suffer through, many of them expressing their condolences or, in the case of Ruby and Yang, excitedly chattering about what they'd do together the next time he visited.

Even though he could no longer hear what they were all saying, Nick knew everyone was there for him, even if they were worlds apart.

That thought was the one that kept him from breaking down completely as the light temporarily blinded him.

To Nick's surprise, however, when he could see again, he found himself in Candracar.

"Um, okay? I thought we were going home?" Nick wondered.

"Very soon, you will."

Nick looked up and saw the Oracle standing in front of him, his eyes closed as always, but a bright smile highlighting his expression.

"I merely wished to congratulate you," Himerish proclaimed. "At long last, Izanami-no-Mikoto's reign of darkness is no more, and the light and darkness are back in balance, thanks to you and your efforts. I could not have foreseen a better conclusion to this tale."

"Even so, Your Highness," Nick replied, clutching Marie's Kingdom Key tightly. "It still feels like a hollow victory in a way. Even though I saved the universe, I still lost my sister. It _hurts_ , your highness, it _really freakin' hurts..._ "

"But you still keep Marie's memory within you," Himerish responded. "Remember what she said to you. As long as you keep her close to your heart, she will never truly fade away."

Nick let his free hand rest over his heart, and he called forth a memory he still cherished to this day. It was four years ago, when Marie had been welcomed to the Kelly family. Nick had always wanted a sister, but his parents had never been able to conceive another child after Nick had been born because of a car accident sterilizing his mother. The instant his mother had said that Marie would be his new younger sister, Nick had been ecstatic, giving Marie the biggest hug he had ever given anyone in his life.

Though Marie had been a little jittered at first, it hadn't taken long at all for her to warm to her new brother, especially after Nick had promised to protect her with everything he had. Nick still cherished Marie's reply.

" _As long as you'll protect me, big bro, I'll protect you, too!"_

Those four years as siblings seemed like such a distant memory now, even though it had barely been fifteen minutes since the battle's conclusion.

"I'm just... I'm gonna miss her so much," Nick stated. "That's why it hurts so bad... but, I guess this really _is_ what Marie would have wanted. She always did put my needs above her own."

"You should go now," Himerish stated. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"You're right," Nick replied. "I _do_ have a date waiting, too."

Nick looked to the sky one last time, imagining that Marie was smiling at him from up in heaven. He then looked down at Marie's Kingdom Key in his hands, deciding right then and there to use her keyblade in case the Heartless ever came back, and he knew they would, in time. After all, as long as darkness existed in every heart, the Heartless could never truly be defeated.

But until that time came, Nick promised to fight the unnatural darkness with the light that Marie had left him.

 _It's the least I can do for you, Marie,_ Nick thought as he walked through a portal in the Veil back to the city of Heatherfield, more specifically to the front gates of Sheffield Institute, where the students were piling their way out now that school was over for the day. It seemed that time in this world had been reset to just before the Heartless had initially invaded.

Nick perked up at a distant call of his name, and turned around just in time to see all of W.I.T.C.H. approaching him.

"Way to go, _Nick_!" Irma exclaimed. "I never expected _you_ to become the superhero while we were out of commission!"

"You know me, Irma," Nick laughed. "I just can't pass up a chance to help someone if I can."

"The Oracle told us about what you had to do," Hay Lin stated. "That must have been so hard on you..."

Nick just smiled, holding up Marie's Kingdom Key. "Well... she left me something to remember her by," Nick stated. "Oh, by the way, Cornelia, how'd your training go?"

"I'm actually getting pretty good with this thing," Cornelia laughed, summoning Earthshaker to her hands. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer before I'm at your level."

Nick just nodded, not sure why he was blushing so hard.

"So... how about this Friday night, then?" Nick asked.

It took Cornelia a few seconds to realize that Nick was asking about their upcoming date to the movies.

"Stop by around five, okay?" Cornelia giggled. "That way, we actually have time to get there in one piece."

"Yeah, I heard about the hype for this one," Nick laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if the theater's packed when we actually get there."

After some more idle conversation, the Guardians returned to their respective homes for the day. When Nick returned to his house, he was surprised to find out that neither his mother nor his father had retained any memories of Marie.

Nick figured it was probably because of what had happened. When Marie had faded away, the only ones who still remembered her were Nick and his friends, the ones who had been there to witness her passing.

It was a little depressing to no longer see that adorable picture of Marie on the mantle, or that cute Stargirl Shannon action figure that Marie had bought from the local toy store, just because she had loved that show so much.

But one picture of Marie _did_ remain, the one in his room of the day Marie had come to the family. Nick silently promised to treasure this one memory that still existed of his precious little sister, who had willingly sacrificed her own existence to save the universe and everything in it.

 _I'll keep you in my heart, Marie,_ Nick thought, letting Marie's Kingdom Key rest on his dresser drawer. _Always._

"Nick, you have visitors!"

Nick sat up quickly, a little confused. He wasn't expecting any visitors. And his date with Cornelia wasn't until Friday (he still had to tell his mom about that), and it was only Wednesday.

"Who is it, mom?" Nick called as he raced down the stairs.

"Not sure. They say they're friends from way back."

The instant Nick turned the corner into the living room, he was suddenly knocked to the floor by a flying glomp from Maylin.

"BUDDY!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Ack, Maylin, stand up before you crush me!" Nick gasped, still trying to catch his breath.

"I tried to say something," Haruka laughed.

After introductions were made (Maylin and Haruka had passed themselves off as friends from Nick's kindergarten days, which seemed to work just fine), the trio situated themselves in Nick's room.

"You've got a nice place, Nick," Maylin stated.

"It's home," Nick admitted. "So, how's everything going?"

"The Oracle confirmed that all the worlds that were swallowed by the Heartless are completely back to normal now," Haruka stated. "We did it, Nick, we really did it."

"I noticed you kept the keyblade Marie had," Maylin noted.

"I'm gonna use it from now on," Nick explained. "That's the promise I made myself, that when the Heartless show up again, I'll fight the darkness with the little piece of light that Marie left for me. I think it's what she'd want."

"So, about your _date_ , you little Casanova..." Maylin giggled.

"Oh, don't start with your matchmaker routine!" Haruka exclaimed.

As they began to barb back and forth, Nick just smiled.

 _It's good to be home._

* * *

In Beacon Academy, the Vytal Festival Tournament was finally underway, with the first match being Team RWBY versus Team ABRN from Haven.

Ruby and Weiss were already discussing their plans for battle formations, while Yang just wanted to get in there and start punching, with only Blake there to keep her from doing that.

The tournament bell rang, signaling the beginning of the match.

Ruby and Weiss took the time to give each other a quick kiss before joining Blake and Yang in charging down Team ABRN.

* * *

At Tower 47, Mary was handing Kyoma and Mira the orders for their next assignment, an investigation into a novelist who had drowned outside his home at Lake Yasogami, a popular place for ghost sightings.

Mira could have sworn she'd seen a ghost, thinking it might have been her imagination.

* * *

After another sweep of the Midnight Channel, the Investigation Team returned to Inaba, only to find Namatame alive and well, though unconscious, just outside Junes.

Realizing that this was their chance to end this case for good, they all rushed to Namatame, unaware that they were being watched from a far-off building by Adachi.

Adachi simply grinned wickedly before moving on, ready to begin the next phase of his plan.

* * *

Back in Rainbow Hills, the Glitter Force found themselves face-to-face with Rascal, who was claiming to have taken Candy somewhere they would never find her.

Glitter Breeze sent out a Sparkle Blizzard to attack Rascal, but the crazy clown simply dodged the attack, fading away after summoning a Buffoon to fight the Glitter Force.

Glitter Peace clapped her hands twice, remembering how courageous Nick had been, before joining her friends in charging the Buffoon.

* * *

At the edge of Scuttle Town, Shantae peered out through the telescope of her lighthouse, searching the seas for any sign of Risky Boots.

A loud explosion caught the half-genie's attention, and she moved the scope to see that Scuttle Town itself was under attack yet again.

Shantae sighed to herself. Risky just never quit.

Regardless, Shantae ran out of her lighthouse, whipping the monsters away and rushing off to fulfill her duty as the Guardian Genie of Scuttle Town.

* * *

In the Imperial Capital, Esdeath can be seen speaking to the Jaegers about their purpose.

As Esdeath talked, a large Heartless spawned nearby, stalking through the shadows to attack before anyone could sense its approach.

Esdeath simply smiled and spun around, creating an ice wall to freeze the Heartless where it stood, laughing at the thought that it could get the drop on her.

Wave stood there in shock.

* * *

Squigly felt a strange vibration through her body. She opened her eyes and looked around, noticing that Filia was calling out to her.

Jumping out from the grave she had been buried in seven years prior, Squigly knew that the only reason she was back among the living was the return of the Skull Heart.

As Filia ran up to her, Squigly recalled her promise, to defend New Meridian from the Skullgirl at any cost, and followed her friend into town, ready to face off with the newest Skullgirl.

* * *

Finé couldn't help but be impressed as Izetta continued to fight against the Germanian advancement, wielding her powers in many inventive ways to drive the arm back.

Eventually, Izetta flew down on her rifle, waving to Finé as she did so. Izetta quickly noticed that Finé seemed worried, opting to hug her princess to calm her down.

Finé just smiled in response. Izetta always knew what to do to make her feel better.

* * *

The Happiness Charge Pretty Cures overlooked the horizons of the Blue Sky Kingdom as it begun the slow, but promising road to recovery.

Cure Princess excitedly pointed down to where some of the International Cures were either helping concerned citizens to safety or fighting off any stray Heartless.

Cure Lovely looked up to the sky, where she saw a princess-like figure soaring through the sky. Cure Lovely smiled before returning to the conversation her friends were having.

* * *

"Holy crap, they weren't kidding," Nick quipped as he and Cornelia entered the theater they'd been given on their tickets. "This place is PACKED!"

"Good thing that we got here so early, huh?" Cornelia laughed.

"I never thought going to the movies _early_ would actually benefit us," Nick stated. "Well, let's enjoy this sucker, then!"

About an hour into the movie, Nick began to glance back at Cornelia every now and then. _She's so beautiful_ , Nick thought. _Should I... argh, let's not go through this again, Nick!_

Cornelia turned back to Nick to get his opinion of the current scene...

...only for Nick to lean forward and kiss her.

When Nick pulled back, Cornelia was left with a surprised expression.

"Oh, crap, Cornelia, I didn't upset you, did I?" Nick gasped.

In response, Cornelia just smiled. "Let me show you how it's done, silly."

Cornelia then grabbed Nick by the shoulders and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

From a pair of seats in the top row, Maylin and Haruka were observing Nick and Cornelia sharing their first kiss with each other.

"I know what you're thinking," Haruka quipped. "So don't you dare. Just wait until the movie's over."

"Aw, man, I have to wait another hour?!" Maylin groaned. "You're no fun."

Haruka just smirked as she turned her attention back to the movie.

Still, Maylin had to smile at the sight ahead of her. "I'm proud of ya, buddy."

So, the two pairs settled in to enjoy the rest of the movie, hoping it was worth the rave reviews it had been getting.

From somewhere far away, a mysterious figure could be seen watching over the city of Heatherfield. Confident that the wielders of the keyblade could protect the city until she was needed, the figure turned on her heel and walked away, disappearing after a few steps in a way that made her appear to phase out of existence.

"Remember, Nick. You are the one who will open the door to the light."

 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart HD Remix_

 _~The End~_


	21. Secret Ending

_A fragmentary passage..._

Night has fallen on the city of Heatherfield. A storm has moved in, drenching the town with seemingly unending rain.

Normally, Heatherfield has a very active nightlife, rain or no rain. But with the darkness that has perpetually shrouded the city through this strong, mid-season storm, no one is piling through the streets, looking for another activity to alleviate their boredom.

Even the darker elements of the city have faded, knowing that now was not the time for them to act.

 _Change ~The Two Keys~_

Lightning cracked through the sky, occasionally breaking the sounds of the falling rain with deafening rumbles of thunder that scared away even the most fearless of shadows.

Simply put, this was not the time for anyone to be outside, not when the wrath of mother nature was pelting the world.

 _Four eyes ~ two perspectives_

Despite everything, a lone figure can be seen stalking through the city, not even bothered by the rain, in fact happy that it was causing everyone to stay inside. This way, she could move through the city without drawing unwanted attention.

Running her hand through her long, blonde hair to swipe some unwanted raindrops from it (hair this long was a pain and a half to take care of, after all), she opened her brown eyes and looked around.

He said he'd be here, right?

Clutching her fist tightly, the girl ran down the street to the north. After all of this effort to get here, if he was messing around when they had a job to do, she was going to...

Her musings were interrupted when pools of darkness opened up on the intersection, spawning a horde of Neoshadows to attack her.

She smiled. Finally, something to keep her busy until she could find him.

Extending her right hand, she prepared herself as one of the Neoshadows lunged at her. About a split-second before it could attack, she summoned her keyblade and slashed hard, splitting the Neoshadow in half.

The main structure of her keyblade was a chokutō with a black handle, gold pommel, and gold rain guard, the blade's edge faces the keyblade's teeth. The guard was split into an upper and lower half, both halves being gold and lined with spikes, but the spikes were more prominent on the upper half. The teeth of the keyblade were comprised of a gold semi-circle with a turquoise center that was lined by long, gold spikes, the teeth connecting to the main blade by a spiked spade symbol. The keychain token was shaped like a diamond lined by short spikes.

"Anyone else want some?!" the girl shouted. The Neoshadows continued to lunge at her, only for her to almost lazily swing Aubade and make short work of them.

"Just like mama taught me," she giggled, before composing herself. She didn't have time to reflect. She was on a mission, after all.

"Now, where would it be?" she wondered, before mentally slapping herself. Of _course_ that's where he'd be. He was looking for it, too.

And sure enough, she found him walking around the outer gardens of Sheffield Institute. The black-haired and brown-eyed boy didn't seem to notice her approach.

"HEY!" she called out.

"Keep your voice down, Lily," the boy groaned. "It's two in the morning. You're gonna wake everybody in this city up."

"Well, you should have at least _told_ me you were looking for the keyhole, Blake," Lily replied. "I've been searching this whole city for you!"

Blake just sighed and summoned his own keyblade, the Sleeping Lion. "You weren't followed, were you?"

"Some Heartless jumped me, but I took them out easily," Lily proclaimed, holding Aubade proudly.

Blake just smiled. "Just like you, sis. Now let's go seal that keyhole before any more trouble shows up."

Almost as if something had been waiting for Blake to say that, bright flashes of white light surrounded them and materialized a group of extremely strange entities.

 _The third enemy_

" _They are the nonexistent ones."_

"W-what? Nobodies?! Where'd _they_ come from?!" Lily shouted.

"They must have followed us back here," Blake growled, raising the Sleeping Lion.

"Oh, great, that means _he's_ here, too," Lily groaned, raising Aubade as the Dusks stalked closer to them. "As if _nothing else_ could go wrong today!"

"I'll hold them off, Lily," Blake proclaimed.

"Blake, why?!" Lily shouted.

"I can take these ones just fine," Blake stated, swinging Sleeping Lion and cutting down a Dusk, watching it dissolve into little sparkles of light. "You need to hurry and seal the keyhole before it's too late! That's the whole reason we're back here, isn't it?!"

Lily gasped in shock before composing herself and nodding, breaking off from the battle to make her way into the school after undoing the lock with Aubade.

However, as she rushed through Sheffield's hallways, more Nobodies began to spawn to impede her path.

"Move it!" Lily shouted, attacking with graceful movement, almost like an ice-skater, mowing down any Dusks who crossed her path.

After eliminating a small horde of Creepers, Lily pushed her way through the doors that led to Sheffield's bell tower, already noticing the keyhole forming on the bell itself.

Deciding not to waste time, Lily raised Aubade towards the keyhole, firing a beam of light into it and sealing it off.

 _Behind the darkness =/= Door to the light_

"Blake?! Can you hear me?!" Lily exclaimed.

"I'm right here, sis," Blake answered, having just entered the bell tower. "I told you I could handle myself. Did you seal the keyhole?"

"Yep!" Lily giggled. "Almost felt stupid for thinking this was going to be hard."

"Then you are still foolish, little girl."

Lily and Blake spun around at this new voice, setting their gazes on the man in the black robe that they'd chased back here.

"You," Blake growled, readying Sleeping Lion for a battle. "Why did you come back here?"

"I should think it is obvious," the hooded man proclaimed. "I have come to destroy everything you care about."

"Well,, tough turtles!" Lily shouted. "We're not letting you get away this time! Not after what you already did!"

The hooded figure just laughed, extending laser blades from his sleeves. "Then come at me, and see just how foolish you truly are."

" _Is this the answer you've been looking for?"_

"You know they'll figure it out eventually," Blake taunted. "Candracar is watching over this town."

"I do not fear that wretched place," the hooded figure challenged.

"Then you're gonna _learn_ to fear it!" Lily growled, a bright light surrounding Aubade. " _Especially_ after what you did to _them_!"

"Very well, then," the hooded figure proclaimed. "Show me your strength, wielders of the keyblade!"

Lily and Blake leapt at the figure, their keyblades flashing through the air to meet their attacker head-on.

Before they can clash with the hooded man, the scene fades to black.

 _W.I.T.C.H.  
_ _Key to Her Heart_

A Kingdom Key flashes across the screen.

 _The second journey_

"What was that?"

Nick looked up, wondering what that strange feeling was. After a few minutes of not feeling anything out of the ordinary, he fell back to sleep, just missing the shadow flying by his bedroom window.

" _I swear, I'll protect you."_


End file.
